Dawn of a New Day
by L.S. Wasp
Summary: Set during the time when the outbreak first began, Daryl and Merle wake up to what they expect to be a routine day like any other. Soon they discover that the day is anything but routine and both are struggling to figure out what's happening and how to survive. Daryl/Merle/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY**

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories, is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 1

Daryl grabbed for his alarm clock, smacking at the snooze button over and over….no matter how many times he hit it, it wouldn't stop. Finally, exhausted and wanting to go back to sleep, Daryl grabbed the clock and ripped it's cord from the wall. To his surprise, it still wouldn't stop.

"What the hell?" Daryl said out loud, sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes. Then he realized it wasn't his alarm clock but a car alarm from outside. He grabbed for his watch off his nightstand and saw that it was 4:30a.m.

"You've got to be kidding me….."Daryl grumbled as he tossed the watch back onto the nightstand. He had just gotten home around midnight from working a double shift at the neighborhood mechanic shop.

It was a large shop owned by a friend of the family, Lawrence Jackson. He always had work for Daryl and Merle when Merle felt like earning an honest dollar although that wasn't very often. They had gotten some heavy equipment in and Jackson, as everyone called him, asked Daryl to stay and work on it.

Not many of the mechanics in the shop were capable of heavy equipment mechanics but Daryl had a knack for it. In fact, he had a knack for almost anything he set his mind to even though he didn't finish school past the 9th grade. Much of that had to do with Merle and his father.

Merle had gotten locked up and his dad, who had always been in and out of the Dixon boys' lives whenever he felt like it, had finally returned for good but this time. He was sick but no one really ever knew what with. Most figured some sort of liver disease from all his years of alcohol abuse but by the time he returned it really didn't matter anymore. He only had a few months to live. Daryl's dad had been a mean son of a bitch to both him and Merle, never there for either boy when they needed him. Daryl suffered countless abuse over the years whenever his father would return home. He had the physical and emotional scars to prove it as did Merle. Even still, the last time he came home Daryl saw how frail and scared he was of dying. It was what made Daryl drop out of school to take care of him. It was one last fruitless attempt to gain some respect and admiration from his father. The only thing Daryl's father had for him was hatred. Daryl's mother had died in childbirth and Daryl's father always blamed him for it. Daryl knew this and always wondered if Merle felt the same although their mother was something they never talked about. Daryl remembered his father's last words to him before he died. _I'll finally see your mother again….and when I do, just you know, I'm gonna tell her what a piece of crap you turned out to be….can't even take good care of your dying father…you're worthless….just worthless…. _Ironically, Daryl had taken great care of his father, probably better than he had ever been his whole life.

Daryl didn't shed one tear when his father died. Surprisingly for Daryl, Merle did. Of course Merle followed it up with spitting on his father's grave. Daryl had never seen Merle emotional and he never had since. It even freaked him out a little to see Merle that way and it was something he didn't understand but he didn't know if he really wanted to either. After their father's funeral, they never spoke of their father again either. Merle was really his only family, dead or alive.

Daryl tossed and turned in his bed for awhile trying to go back to sleep. About an hour later he could smell coffee brewing.

"Fuck it…" Daryl said and he got up and walked to the kitchen in just his boxers. Daryl rounded the corner into the kitchen and hesitated in the doorway.

"Good Morning Daryl, there's coffee on the stove if you want some…." Janine told him as she sat at the kitchen table.

Janine was Merle's "flavor of the month" that month. She worked at the local diner and was up early getting ready to go in for her shift.

Daryl quickly walked over to the laundry room off the kitchen and grabbed a t-shirt from the dryer, putting it on before walking back in. He grabbed a mug out of the cabinet and poured himself some coffee.

"Why are you so bashful Daryl?" Janine asked. "It ain't like I've never seen a man with his shirt off before, we're lucky if Merle puts on anything before he starts struttin' around the house in the morning." Janine laughed.

Daryl just ignored her question. Truth was Daryl didn't want people staring at or asking about his scars.

Daryl grabbed a cigarette pack from the pantry and sat at the table. He opened the new pack and lit a cigarette setting the pack back down in front of him next to the ashtray. Janine reached over and took one out for herself and stuck it in her mouth and leaned closer to Daryl waiting for him to light her cigarette. Daryl just stared at her a moment, annoyed that she didn't even ask if she could have one. That was one thing he always hated about Merle's women. Merle would drag them in one night, then they'd stay until he got tired of them but in the meantime they'd mooch off the Dixon boys as much as they could. Daryl hated it considering most of the groceries and necessities of the house he paid for. He wasn't getting anything in return from these women, not that he wanted anything from them anyways.

Daryl hesitantly picked up the lighter and lit the cigarette but afterwards she stayed leaning in close. She slowly pulled the cigarette from her mouth, her two fingers adorned with long red fake fingernails. Her hair was bleach so blond her hair was brittle and dry. She had so much make-up spackled on that Daryl didn't know if he'd recognize who she was if she wasn't wearing any. Daryl found absolutely nothing attractive about this woman. Merle however, had much lower standards than he did in women. Although if anyone asked Merle he'd always say Daryl was too picky and probably wouldn't know what to do with one if he got his hand on one he approved of.

"Well….well…well….what's everybody doin' so bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning" Merle came strolling in, naked as the day he was born.

"Damn Merle…..Ain't nobody want to see all that first thing in the mornin'….you need to learn to put somethin' on before you blind somebody…" Daryl said to his brother.

"Oh I'm not complainin'" Janine said as she got up and walked to the opposite side of the table to meet Merle. Merle roughly shoved her against the table, lifting her up onto it as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Merle shoved his tongue in her mouth and she let out a moan as Merle kissed her hard. Daryl's coffee spilled out of the mug due to the force against the table….

"Damn! Don't start all that shit here…..people eat on there you know…." Daryl complained as he jumped up from the table grabbing his mug and walked over to the sink.

Merle laughed and pulled Janine off the table and pushed her towards the living room.

"Merle I only got ten minutes before I have to leave for work." She told him.

Merle slapped her on the ass and started to follow her out of the kitchen. "Don't worry babe…..that's plenty of time, come on, let's go back to my room… we don't want to make poor Darylina uncomfortable since he ain't got no one to suck his dick…." Merle headed out looking back laughing at Daryl. Daryl flipped him off on his way out.

Daryl stood at the kitchen sink at looked out the window. He could see a figure stumbling across the street. Their neighborhood wasn't exactly one that you'd take a leisurely stroll through but Daryl assumed the person must be drunk. He left his coffee mug in the sink and decided to go back to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY**

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories, is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 2

Daryl laid on his bed face down. He could hear Merle bangin' Janine in the room across the hall. Janine was a bit of a screamer which made Daryl nauseous just to think about. Daryl covered his head with his pillow in attempt to drown out her constant moaning. Somehow he managed even through the noise to fall back asleep.

.

A few hours later the ringing of the phone woke Daryl.

Disoriented, Daryl stumbled into the kitchen and grabbed at the phone hanging on the wall.

"What?…." Daryl asked into the receiver.

"Daryl?…..I know you had a long day yesterday but two guys didn't show up this morning and John looks like hell, think he may need to go home sick. There must be something going around but I've got a heavy load today. Can you come in?" Jackson asked.

Daryl scratched his head then rubbed his eyes. "Uh….yeah….I guess…."

"You alright Daryl? You're not coming down with something too are ya?" Jackson seemed genuinely concerned. He had been a friend of Daryl's mother. Growing up, whenever Daryl ran into him he'd always ask if Daryl needed anything. Occasionally he'd give Daryl money or hand-me-downs from his own sons that were a few years older than Daryl and Merle. He was more of a father to Daryl and Merle than their own one was.

"Naw I'm fine…I just woke up is all…I'll be there as soon as I can get there." Daryl told him.

"I knew I could count on you son….if Merle wants to earn some money tell him to come on too." Jackson told him.

"I don't think he's here but if he is I'll ask….see ya in a bit." Daryl told him and he hung up the phone.

Daryl went back to his bedroom and grabbed a blue mechanic's jumpsuit from the closet along with an old white t-shirt. Quickly Daryl got dressed and then looked in Merle's room but he wasn't there. He went back into the kitchen and went to grab his cigarette pack from the table.

"Damn thief!" Daryl wasn't surprised his pack was missing but it still pissed him off. He went to the pantry and grabbed another one along with a lighter from one of the kitchen drawers and his trucks keys from the bowl on the counter.

Daryl headed outside, grabbed his boots next to the door and sat down on the front porch steps. As he laced up his boots he thought the neighborhood seemed eerily quiet.

Daryl hopped in his truck and headed down the road towards the shop. He pushed in the cigarette lighter in the truck and stuck a cigarette in his mouth. As he was waiting for the lighter to heat up he rolled down the driver's window. Daryl heard the pop of the lighter, grabbed it and lit his cigarette. When he looked back up towards the road, he quickly swerved to the left to avoid hitting a man that was walking down the middle of the lane towards his truck.

"SHIT!…" Daryl yelled as he struggled to keep control over his truck as he drove past. The man in the road kept walking his course without reacting to Daryl at all and appeared to have no concern of getting run over. Daryl watched the man in the rear view mirror and tried to keep his eyes in front of him at the same time.

'Fuckin' crack head…..starting early I guess….." Daryl remarked.

Daryl took a long drag from his cigarette, his nerves slightly rattled from almost running over somebody first thing in the morning. "It's gonna be one of those fuckin' days I guess…" Daryl remarked to himself.

He pulled up to the garage and parked his truck around the back of the building. He went in the back door and heard the clanking of tools hitting the concrete floor. Daryl walked towards the sound.

"John, man you alright?" Daryl asked him. John had sat on an over turned bucket next to the car he was working on. He was pale and sweating profusely. There was a tire iron on the floor by his feet. He just sat there looking dazed…."

"John?….." Daryl said again.

Slowly John looked up at Daryl. "Hey…..uh…..I'm not feelin' so hot." He told Daryl.

"Jackson said you felt like shit….go home, I'll take care of this…." Daryl told him.

"Think I'll lie down in the back for a bit first….." John told him.

"Whatever man….take it easy…." Daryl told him. John stumbled off towards the break room in the back of the building. Shortly thereafter Jackson approached Daryl as he worked underneath the car.

"Thanks Daryl….I'll really appreciate you coming in…." Jackson told him.

"Ain't like I got somethin' better to do." Daryl told him. He just kept working.

"Looks like it will just be you and me working in the shop today….like old times huh? No Merle I take it…..can't say I'm surprised, I don't even remember the last time he worked in here. Just as well, I've been wanting to talk to you about something for awhile now but didn't want to do it with others around." Jackson told him.

Daryl stopped what he was doing and rolled out from underneath the car. "Somethin' wrong Jack?"

"No….nothing's wrong Daryl….actually I'm hoping you'll see it as good news." Jackson told him.

Daryl sat up as Jackson sat on the over turned bucket across from him.

"Listen Daryl, you know I ain't getting any younger and my boys are grown and have moved off and started their own lives…..they don't want nothing to do with this old garage….." Jackson began.

Daryl had no idea where Jackson was going with this. If he just wanted to stroll down memory lane Daryl would rather he at least let him get back to work while he did it.

"So that got me thinking…..we're never hurtin' for business here and I can't run this place forever….if you're interested I'd like you to take over…"Jackson told him.

"What?…..What do you mean take over?" Daryl knew full well what Jackson meant but he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I mean Daryl, I want you to take over the garage….we'll be partners….Nancy will keep doing the books and I'll still take a portion of the profits for my retirement but all in all, the garage will be yours…..what do you say son?" Jackson asked.

Daryl sat there unable to speak at first….He felt his chest tighten as if he could hardly breathe. "I…I don't know what to say…." Daryl told Jackson.

"Say you'll do it you numbskull!" Jackson said jokingly as he took off his baseball cap and whacked Daryl upside the head with it.

Daryl couldn't help but smile so big it made his jaw hurt. "Ok…Ok old man! I'll do it…."

Jackson smiled and stood up putting his hand out towards Daryl. Daryl stood and gave him a firm handshake. Before Daryl could let go Jackson pulled him close and hugged him tight, patting him on the back.

"I'm proud of you son….you've made me a proud man…." Jackson told him. "Now get back to work….." He said with a laugh and smacked Daryl on the shoulder and walked back towards his office.

Daryl's eyes filled with tears but he quickly rubbed his eyes on his sleeve and choked them back. Seemed like today was going to be a much better day than he initially thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY**

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories, is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 3

A few hours passed before Daryl was finished working on the car initially started by John. Jackson had been in and out of the garage, running a few errands and had settled back in his office to work on paperwork. Daryl assumed John had gone home sick. Daryl carefully backed the car out into the lot and parked it on the ready line for pick up. Walking back into the vehicle bay, he headed towards the front customer counter and hung the keys up on one of the hooks. He was startled by a blood curdling scream.

Daryl's heart was beating so hard it was almost all he could hear as the adrenaline shot through his body. He ran to the back of the shop towards Jackson's office. Daryl had never heard anyone scream like that before. It gave him the chills. When he approached the doorway of the office he saw Jackson struggling in his chair with John hovered over top of him, attacking him.

"JOHN! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOIN'? GET OFF HIM!" Daryl yelled as he lunged towards John and attempted to pull him off of Jackson.

John shoved Daryl and turned towards him as Daryl stumbled backwards. Daryl couldn't believe what he was seeing. John's skin was a dull gray with his eyes the same color to match. He looked worse than death warmed over. Daryl had never seen anyone look that sick. Blood poured out of his mouth and ran down his chin. He hissed and growled at Daryl like a rabid dog.

Daryl froze for a moment shocked in disbelief. John lunged towards him and Daryl turned to run back towards the front when he got tangled up in his own feet and went crashing to the floor. Quickly Daryl turned to his back and scurried backwards towards the vehicle bay trying to get his feet back underneath him to stand up as John steadily came at him.

Daryl desperately grabbed for anything in reach and found the tire iron that John had dropped earlier. As soon as John was in reach, Daryl swung the tire iron hard striking him in the face causing him to fall over.

Daryl got back on his feet and kept a firm grip on the tire iron ready to swing again but backed away from John. Daryl watched as John slowly rose back to his feet and turned towards him, still hissing. Daryl's eyes widened when he saw the large gash on the side of his face. Normally a person with that type of injury wouldn't be back on their feet that quickly, let alone be coming back for more.

"JOHN? WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM? STOP MOVIN'!" Daryl yelled at John almost pleading. John was one of the most passive people Daryl had ever met. Until this day Daryl didn't think he was capable of harming a fly and wouldn't believe for a second he would attack Jackson for any reason let alone anyone else if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.

John continued to charge towards Daryl and Daryl found himself backed into the corner. Daryl swung the tire iron as hard as he could striking John in the head. Daryl could hear the loud crack but John kept coming. Both men crashed down to the concrete floor. Daryl had a hold of John's jumpsuit trying to keep an arm's length distance between them as they struggled on the floor. Daryl kept swinging the tire iron at John's head, over and over, blood spattering from the wound with each blow until John finally stopped moving.

Quickly Daryl jumped up and dropped the tire iron back on the floor next to John's lifeless body. Daryl felt all the air leave his lungs as he gasped for air. Daryl stared at John in disbelief. Quickly he stumbled back over to Jackson's office. He didn't have to go inside to see that Jackson was dead. Daryl ran his hands through his hair and backed up against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor. Daryl wasn't sure how long he sat there, his knees bent and elbows on his knees as he supported his head and just stared into Jackson's office. Daryl closed his eyes and hoped he was just having a nightmare. _What the fuck just happened?_ Daryl thought to himself. His eyes welled up with tears and he didn't try to fight them back. He just sat there as tears quietly streamed down his face.

Suddenly a wave of fear washed over Daryl…..he was a Dixon. Dixons weren't known for being fine upstanding citizens. Would any one even believe Daryl's story of what happened? Daryl had a hard time believing it himself and he saw it first hand. Daryl rose to his feet and walked back into the vehicle bay over to the phone. He paced back and forth in front of it for a bit, chewing on the skin around his nails. Daryl was shaking. He kept trying to take slow deep breaths to calm down but it wasn't doing him any good. Daryl picked up the receiver of the phone and then hung it up immediately. Pacing around again Daryl was trying to decide what to do. He turned around and realizing the bay doors were still open quickly ran over to shut them before any customers came by or anyone passing by happened to look in, see what Daryl had done and call the police. Once the doors were closed Daryl rushed back over to the phone just staring at it. Finally he picked up the phone and began to dial a number.

The phone rang and rang but no one answered. Daryl slammed the phone down and cursed. Running his hands through his hair he tried to think. Daryl looked at his watch, it was just past noon. _Grady's….._

Grady's was a local bar that both Dixon boys frequented. They were usually open for lunch and since Merle only ate at home when Daryl cooked he figured that's where Merle had to be. Daryl dialed the number, still pacing anxiously as it rang. The phone rang and rang again and just before he was about to give up a woman's voice answered the phone.

"Grady's….." The woman stated.

It threw Daryl off, no women worked at Grady's and Grady himself certainly wouldn't let a customer answer the phone.

"Hello? I can hear someone breathing ya know…do you want something or are you just a pervert?" The woman asked.

Daryl shook his head and his voice slightly cracked as he began to speak… "Merle…." He said as he cleared his throat. "I'm looking for Merle Dixon….."

"Merle? Hang on I think I see him…who is this?" The woman asked.

"What are you his fucking secretary? Just put him on the phone if he's there- it's important!" Daryl barked.

"Alright, alright, hold your horses, damn…" The woman stated. "Merle Dixon…." Daryl could hear her shout. "Some ass with his panties in a bunch is callin' for ya on the phone." She yelled.

Daryl waited impatiently as he heard rustling around on the other end of the phone. He could hear Merle's voice in the background. "panties in a bunch huh sweetness?….well then it must be Daryl!" Daryl heard an eruption of laughter on the other end of the phone.

"MERLE!" Daryl shouted, he didn't have time for Merle's jokes and games.

"Damn boy! Whatcha hollerin' about?" Merle demanded once on the phone.

"Just shut the fuck up Merle and get over to the shop now….come alone." Daryl told him still pacing back and forth as he talked on the phone.

"Fuck that….I'm done workin' there….Tell Jackson I'm done with that shit…it's all you boy…" Merle told him.

"It ain't that Merle…I just need you to get over here it's important." Daryl told him.

"What? Now I got to hold your hand while you work? I ain't got time for that boy…..I'll talk to you later…" Merle said as he was about to hang up the phone.

"MERLE! I AIN'T FUCKIN' KIDDIN' AROUND! SOMETHIN' BAD'S HAPPENED. PLEASE I'M FUCKIN' BEGGIN' YA! I NEED YOU HERE NOW!" Daryl's voice was shaky as he yelled at Merle.

Merle paused for a moment….He could hear the desperation in Daryl's voice unlike he ever heard before and the fact that he used "_please" _and begged, Merle knew something was seriously wrong. The smile quickly left Merle's face and he stopped joking around.

"Daryl…what the fuck? You alright little brother?" Merle asked quietly as if he didn't want anyone else to hear his concern for his brother.

Daryl, shaking, lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. Blowing out the smoke as he talked he did his best to calm down. "I'm serious Merle…..it's bad….real bad….just get here and don't bring anyone, and I mean NOT ONE of your dumbass friends….this is a family matter…." Daryl told him and slammed down the phone…..


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY**

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories, is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 4

Daryl felt like it took forever for Merle to arrive when it really had only been about twenty minutes. Merle pulled around back on his bike as Daryl met him outside. Merle immediately saw the bloodstains on Daryl's clothes and quickly got off the bike.

"Boy you hurt? What happened?" Merle asked him.

"I don't know what fuckin' happened….things were fine one minute then…..I don't know…" Daryl couldn't find the words to even explain.

Merle marched in the back and headed towards Jackson's office. "JACKSON? WHAT THE FUCK IS GOIN' ON HERE?" Merle asked but stopped short of going in at the doorway when he saw Jackson's lifeless body slumped over in the chair.

Merle slowly stepped in and walked around to the side of Jackson's body keeping his eyes on him the whole time. He leaned in closer to get a look at the wound on Jackson's neck. At first all Merle could see was a blood covered hole. The long stream of blood running from his neck, down his back to the floor had stopped it's steady drip and was beginning to coagulate. His skin was pale and sickly looking, Merle guessed from all the blood loss. The closer Merle looked he noticed around the edges of the wound is what appeared to be bite marks. It clearly wasn't caused by a weapon of any sort.

Merle looked up at the doorway and saw Daryl anxiously pacing and chewing on his thumb. Merle would always give him a hard time whenever he caught him doing that, normally with some sort of sarcastic response about how he should suck his thumb while he was at it. This time though, Merle was silent. He slowly walked back to the doorway and stood in the door frame just looking at Daryl. Daryl stopped pacing and leaned up against the wall across from the office.

"Now I know there's no way you did this…." Merle started to say.

Daryl instantly got defensive. "Of course I didn't do it, what the hell Merle…you think I'd do somethin' to Jackson like that…or hell at all?" Daryl seemed hurt by the suggestion.

Merle just slapped Daryl hard across the face. "DIDN'T I JUST SAY YOU DIDN'T DO IT….LISTEN UP BOY!" Merle barked at him.

"Looks like he's been chewed on by an animal or something'" Merle told him.

Daryl rubbed his stinging cheek and glared at Merle. "It….It was John…"

Merle looked at Daryl as if he'd lost his mind. "What?…" he said as he couldn't help but slightly laugh at the thought of John being the aggressor.

"Go look…." Daryl said as he pointed towards the vehicle bay.

Merle walked down the small hallway and into the bay. "Well I'll be damned…." Merle said as he walked over towards John's lifeless body. He just stood over it and scratched at the unshaved scruff on his chin. Daryl slowly walked over towards him.

"He didn't give me no choice….he attacked Jackson…..when I tried to pull him off he turned on me…I swear Merle I told him to stop but he just kept comin', it was like he couldn't even hear anything I said….." Daryl told him.

Merle leaned over the body for a closer look. "Damn…you sure did a number on his head….." Merle said almost proudly as he stood back up and looked at Daryl. "So, let me get this straight…..you saw John chewin' on Jackson like he was diggin' into a drumstick from a turkey...then he came after you?"

Daryl just nodded his head yes.

"Well I'll be damned….." Merle said again scratching his head as if it would help him understand.

They both just stood there in silence for a moment until Merle finally spoke up. "Didn't we hear somethin' on tv not too long ago about some new drug that was makin' people do all sorts of crazy shit and tryin' to eat people and all that mess?" Merle asked him.

Daryl thought for a moment and began to nod before he spoke up "Yeah….but that ain't this….John wouldn't touch drugs…."

"I know…..I tried gettin' him to buy many times but he won't havin' it….disappointin' really, I could've worked a whole 'nother neighborhood if he had…." Merle stated almost seeming a little down.

"MERLE!" Daryl yelled at him in disgust. Daryl hated drugs anyways but it was something Merle seemed to pride himself in being a part of.

"I don't know what the fuck is goin' on…..all I know is Jackson called me in cause people called out sick and John came in but he said he won't feelin' well neither…." Daryl told him. Suddenly Merle drew the gun from the back of his waistband of his jeans and pointed it towards Daryl.

"Turn around Daryl and get out of the way….." Merle told him.

Daryl stepped aside and quickly turned around. Both men watched in horror as Jackson, his head cocked to the side still exposing the large gash in the side of his neck, came stumbling out of the hallway. Daryl noticed his eyes were the same gray color as John's, just as cloudy and lifeless. Jackson turned slowly towards the men and hissed and growled at the Dixon brothers just the same way John did to Daryl.

"Jesus Christ!" Merle proclaimed "JACKSON?….." Merle called out. Jackson didn't speak between the hissing and growling, he continued towards both men with his arms stretched out.

"Merle?…." Daryl said not knowing what to do.

"He was dead Daryl…" Merle stated in disbelief…. "He WAS DEAD!" Merle's voice began to get louder.

"I know….." was all Daryl could spit out.

Jackson continued to stumble closer towards them when Merle pulled the trigger of his gun.

The loud bang caused a ringing in Daryl's ear as he flinched. The bullet struck the left side of Jackson's chest but he kept coming…_BANG!….._ Daryl heard again horrified with the fact that Jackson was still coming after them even after the second shot entered his chest,neither of which phased him. Merle took aim and pulled the trigger again, this time the bullet piercing through Jackson's skull. Merle and Daryl watched in what seemed like slow motion, the lifeless body of Jackson, fall to the floor. Both men just stood there silent, Merle still with his arm stretched out, ready to fire again if needed. Daryl turned to his brother and Merle looked over at Daryl, both were still wide eyed and speechless. Finally Merle cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Ain't nobody gonna believe if we tell 'em. We gotta take care of this…ain't nobody gonna know what happened…..pick up the cartridge cases, the three of them…..don't want nobody to be able to trace this back to anything…I'm going out back to get a couple gas cans." Merle ordered.

Merle marched back in carrying two gas cans and handed one to Daryl.

"Come on, drench this place, we're burnin' this bitch to the ground….everything will be so melted and fucked up the police won't be able to tell shit." Merle told him.

Daryl reached for the gas can and watched as Merle began dousing both bodies with gasoline. Daryl couldn't help but hesitate. He looked all around at the shop. Daryl felt like his entire life was over, not that it was much of a life to begin with but he had a glimmer of hope for a few hours. He should've known better. He kept hoping this was all a bad dream but no matter how much he wished for it to be, he knew it wasn't. Daryl walked into the customer side of the shop and began pouring gasoline over everything. They kept pouring until the whole placed was drenched. Daryl and Merle stood out back and stared at the building for a moment. Merle threw his gas can back inside the shop, grabbed the one Daryl had and did the same.

"Get me a flare from your truck" Merle ordered. Obediently Daryl did so and handed it off to Merle.

"Now go home….burn those clothes out back….I'll be there in a few….you got it?" Merle told him.

Daryl nodded his head and got into his truck, kicking up gravel as he drove out of the back parking lot as Merle watched him drive away.

Daryl was just a short distance down the road when heard a loud bang and slowly began to see a cloud of black smoke rise in the area of the shop. Daryl pulled another cigarette out of his pocket, lit it and took a long, hard drag from it as he headed home…..


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY**

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 5

Daryl stood in the backyard wearing only his boxers as he watched the orange blaze in the metal trashcan. He kept replaying the day's events over and over in his head. He heard the roar of Merle's motorcycle pull into the back near the detached garage. Merle killed the engine and walked over to Daryl and stood next to him. Both stood there in silence just watching the fire.

"You got a cigarette?" Merle asked

Daryl didn't look at him or say a word. He just handed him the pack and lighter that he was holding. Merle removed two cigarettes, putting them in his mouth, lighting them both. He handed one back to Daryl. Daryl took it from him but remained silent and returned his gaze to the flames.

"Man…..I'm starvin'!" Merle said as he rubbed his stomach. "You eaten anything boy?"

Daryl just shook his head no….in fact he hadn't eaten at all.

"Come on….let's get cleaned up and go eat at Grady's. I think maybe we should head out of town for a few days until the dust settles at the shop so be sure to pack a few things. Besides there's a surprise waitin' for you at Grady's….." Merle slapped Daryl gently on the back. "It'll cheer you up….."

Merle headed into the house and Daryl watched him go in the back door. Daryl turned back and just stared at the fire. He took a few more long drags off his cigarette, then threw it in there too. Daryl headed inside and went straight for the shower.

.

Daryl leaned against the tile wall of the shower as the lukewarm water ran down his back and in his face. He just stood there for who knows how long with his eyes closed. Daryl stayed like that until the water turned cold. Finally he cut it off and dried himself off with a towel. He walked down the hall towards his room still rubbing his hair with the towel when he heard a voice that was like nails on a chalkboard.

"WHEW! One thing's for sure….I bet all you Dixon men know how to make a woman happy…" Janine remarked.

Daryl jumped and awkwardly attempted to cover himself with the towel. Janine walked closer to Daryl blocking his path from the bathroom to his room and backed him into the wall.

"Come on baby…..like I've said before, there ain't no need to be shy around Miss Janine." Janine leaned in close to Daryl and began to rub the side of his bare ass with her hand, digging her long fake red nails just so slightly into his skin. Daryl could taste the burning acid from his stomach in the back of his throat just thinking about her.

"Janine you whore! Leave my poor brother alone…you'll scar him from women for life if you keep that shit up…" Merle stated as he entered the hallway.

Daryl took the opportunity to get past Janine as Merle diverted her attention, rush into his room and slam the door. He could hear them continue to bicker outside his room as he got dressed.

"I'm just tryin' to have a little fun with him is all….he's always so uptight. Maybe if he got laid once in awhile he wouldn't be that way." Janine sassed back at Merle.

"Listen Slutty McSlutsville, you ain't got to be worryin' about my baby brother you hear? He just don't want that old dried up pussy of yours…." Merle told her.

Daryl could hear a crack that he could only assume was Janine slapping Merle across the face.

"You wanna play rough?" Merle asked….."Oh we can play rough tonight baby…." Merle said and Daryl heard him shove Janine against the wall followed by repeated thumps which caused his door to rattle. "How's that for rough…..and that…." Merle grunted.

"Oh Merle!…..YES…." Janine replied…

Daryl rolled his eyes not even wanting to imagine what they were actually doing. "Come on….." he said to himself. "God Dammit you two! I'm about sick of this shit, I'd like to come out of my room at some point without having to step over you two goin' at it like rabbits!" Daryl hollered through the closed door.

He could hear both Janine and Merle laughing, then the slam of Merle's bedroom door.

"Thank God!" Daryl remarked as he opened his door, careful to look out before entering the hallway. It was clear. He could still hear Merle and Janine carrying on in Merle's room as he walked into the living room. Daryl flipped on the tv and walked into the kitchen.

Daryl opened up one of the cabinet doors and took out the bottle of whiskey and took a swig. He grabbed the ashtray off the kitchen table and looked around for his pack of cigarettes….._Merle again…damn cigarette thief….._Daryl went back to the pantry and grabbed a pack. He didn't care so much if Merle took a pack of cigarettes since they split most of the bills anyhow but what he did care was that Merle had to always take HIS pack. He didn't think Merle had gotten a pack out of the pantry in years. Even if he was out and wanted a cigarette he'd wait until Daryl got out a pack and then he'd take it. It never failed.

Daryl plopped himself on the couch_, _grabbed the remote and cranked up the volume on the tv to drown out the sounds of Janine and Merle's moaning and groaning. Daryl started flipping channels….._news…..news…..news…..news…_

"What the hell?….." Daryl looked at his watch, it was only 4:45p.m. not time for the news to be on just yet. Daryl looked back up at the tv when he heard the newscaster's report….

_"…..now the home video we are about to show you is extremely graphic….please if you have any small children we ask that you take them out of the room immediately…..again this footage we are about to show you is extremely frightening and graphic…."_

Daryl's jaw dropped as he watched the video. He clutched the bottle of whiskey in his hand and his cigarette rested between the fingers of his other. The video appeared to be of someone crouched down low as if hiding with people running frantically past the view of the camera screaming. The video was shaking but began to focus in on a person stumbling around a short distance from the camera. The stumbling man grabbed a woman trying to run away and bit into their arm. The woman screamed in terror as the blood began to pour from the wound as the biter ripped a chunk of flesh from her arm. Another man ran up behind and hit the biter with a chair. The biter fell to the floor and the man with the chair and the bleeding woman ran from the view of the camera. The biter slowly started to push themself up from the floor, when they looked up and directly into the lens. The hair on the back of Daryl's neck raised on end. Daryl looked into the biter's eyes on the video….they looked the same as John's and Jackson's. Then it lunged at the camera and the last thing you could hear was a person's scream before it went to static.

"MERLE!….MERLE!….." Daryl yelled as he jumped up and ran over to Merle's door and began pounding on it. Merle slung open the door angrily.

"What the fuck little brother? You know I'm busy…." Merle fussed at him as he grabbed the whiskey bottle from his hand, took a drink then shoved it back at Daryl.

"You gotta see this Merle….it's bad….. It's like what we saw today…." Daryl started to say before Merle cut him off.

Merle stepped into the hallway and shut the door in attempt to prevent Janine from hearing.

"Boy you shut the fuck up right now….we ain't never gonna speak of that….what the fuck are you doin'?" Merle asked as he did a head nod back as if to say _Janine will hear you._

"Merle just look dammit!" Daryl pointed towards the living room. Merle walked in still naked as could be and slowly sat on the couch as he listened and watched the same video Daryl had as they replayed it on the news. Daryl sat down beside him as they sat in silence and took another drink from the bottle of whiskey before handing back off to Merle. A few minutes later Janine come out with just a t-shirt on.

"What the fuck Merle? You stop fucking me to go watch tv?" She asked.

Both Daryl and Merle didn't take their eyes off the screen but both "Ssshhh" her. At first she crossed her arms and started to huff but then as she heard the news herself and watched them play similar videos from different areas of the country, she slowly sat down on Merle's lap, wrapping one arm around his shoulders. The three of them sat there for about a half an hour just staring at the tv in silence.

"…..We're just getting news into the studio that police are asking that people stay in their homes and off the roads until further notice…."

"Oh my God….do you think the world is ending?" Janine asked.

"Ain't nobody gonna tell me when I can or can't leave my house…..fuck them!" Merle barked at the tv as he grabbed the remote and shut it off.

"Enough of this shit, Daryl, pack your things, I don't want to be caught by surprise." Merle said as he looked at Daryl.

Daryl knew the look Merle gave him was more than just pack a few things. It was more of a _pack everything you need because we may not be coming back_ _anytime soon _kind of look. Daryl got up and grabbed a few duffle bags and a backpack from the hall closet.

"Pack your things? Where're you going?" Janine ask.

"Campin' for a bit…." Merle told her.

"Campin' , I hate campin'…" Janine told him.

"Well I don't recall asking you to come with us now did I?" Merle snapped at her.

"You mean you're just gonna leave me all by myself while the world's fallin' apart? How can you do that to me Merle?" Janine whined.

"Don't start all that bullshit whining Janine….listen, we're going to Grady's to eat, you can come too but then we'll leave from there…..besides, all this shit is probably just people cracked out on somethin'."

Merle and Daryl exchanged glances knowing full well this was something more. Problem was they didn't know what.

"You'll forget about this in no time." Merle told her. He had already thought he and Daryl should head out of town for a few days to let what happened at the shop settle down but now with this going on he wasn't sure what to think. Regardless, he thought laying low would be the best plan for now. The last thing he wanted was Janine slowing them down…


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY **

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 6

Daryl packed up every weapon and ammunition he could find in the house also to include knives and a few small axes. At first Daryl thought maybe it was too much but like Merle said they didn't want to be caught off guard. They didn't know how far this reached or how many people they'd run into like John and Jackson. It hadn't occured to Daryl or Merle that there would be others until they saw the news. He also packed extra clothes to included some long sleeve shirts and a jacket in case it turned off cold at night. He packed whatever none perishables he could find in the house and tossed in a can opener. Daryl went back in his room and grabbed the money he had hidden underneath one of the dresser drawers and took one more look around to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. He headed to his truck, packed some things behind the seat and the rest he tossed in the bed of the truck. He entered the garage and grabbed a few more things and saw Merle coming out the back door as he headed back to the truck.

"Daryl, I'm putting some stuff in my saddlebags but the rest in a duffle bag in the back of your truck….." Merle told him. "Got your crossbow huh? Well glad to see I brought you up right when I say be prepared for anything." Merle laughed.

"Easier to hunt with if we need to…" Daryl remarked.

"You got that right!" Merle added "But I still think I'll stick to my rifle…"

After everything was packed up and they were ready to go, Janine came out of the house and climbed on the back of Merle's motorcycle with him.

Merle turned to Daryl just before they rolled off. "Grady's"….

.

They pulled into the back parking lot at Grady's and were surprised when they didn't see hardly any cars there. Normally Grady's was packed at night. The three of them walked around to the front and noticed a "CLOSED NO TRESSPASSING" sign on the front door.

"What the hell? I just called you here at lunchtime?" Daryl asked.

"I don't know….but I know that fat bastard is here…..and we ain't leavin'"Merle replied

Merle banged on the door as hard as he could. "GRADY? YOU LAZY SACK OF SHIT! OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR!" he yelled as he continued to pound on the door.

Daryl looked around and couldn't help but get creeped out at how silent and deserted everything seemed. He had noticed it the whole way to the bar, nobody was out.

"I don't know Merle…..I kind of got a bad feeling about this…." Daryl said as he was looking around. His attention quickly returned to the door when he heard Janine scream.

Daryl turned and saw a large shotgun barrel sticking out of where the door was just slightly cracked open and Merle and Janine backed up a few steps. Daryl reached for the gun he had in his back waistband but before he could draw it, he heard the woman's voice who answered the phone earlier.

"MERLE DIXON…..you're going to give someone a heart attack or even end up with a few pellets in your ass banging on people's doors like that while there are crazies out attacking people…" The voice stated.

The door swung wider and revealed a dark haired woman about Daryl's age holding a shotgun. She gently lowered the gun and stepped back for them to enter. A large, burly man with white hair was revealed standing next to her holding onto the door.

"Grady you big pussy!" Merle yelled at him laughing…. "You about had sweetness here make me mess my drawers with that shotgun of hers!"

Once inside, it took Daryl's eyes a few minutes to adjust before he recognized her. Once he looked into her emerald green eyes he knew exactly who she was.

"Janine…this here is Grady's niece, Georgia, but I always call her sweetness, because she is as sweet as a Georgia Peach!...Ain't that right Daryl?" Merle proclaimed as he laughed.

"You live in Georgia and your name's Georgia?" Janine asked trying to seem insulting.

"Yes, my parents named my sister and I after the states we were born in….she's Virginia…..creative weren't they?" Georgia said sarcastically.

_Sweetness….._Daryl remembered Merle referring to her as sweetness on the phone earlier but with everything going on he didn't catch it. Georgia only came in the summers to visit her uncle. Her sister was ten years younger than she was but they had moved to Virginia just before she was born so she never grew up there. Her sister came on a few visits with her but always complained since she didn't know anyone so she stopped coming, leaving only Georgia there in the summer.

"But she only lets me call her sweetness…." Merle boasted proudly.

"That's only because no matter how many times I kicked his ass for it he still calls me that so finally one day I just gave up." Georgia remarked with a smirk on her face.

"Sweetness huh….." Janine replied sounding almost jealous.

"What's the matter baby….you jealous of this pretty young fine thing? Well don't you worry….she won't let me touch her with a ten foot pole!" Merle laughed "Besides….out of the Dixon boys, she's only had eyes for Daryl….."

Georgia, still with the smirk on her face, glanced over at Daryl. Daryl's cheeks were starting to become pink and he began chewing on his thumb. He didn't once look up at her while she watched him.

Janine gave a half assed smile at Merle although it was obvious that didn't make her feel any better considering all the lame attempts when she tried to seduce Daryl.

"Yep…and don't let my baby brother fool ya! He likes to act like he don't care about pussy but once he got a taste of this sweet Georgia peach, she ruined him from other women for life! That's why he's so damn picky!" Merle stated as he snuck over behind Georgia while her eyes were still on Daryl and slapped her hard on the ass.

"DAMN MERLE!…you trying to get someone shot or did you forget I have a shotgun in my hands already you dumb bastard!" Georgia fussed at Merle as she jumped.

"Alright, enough joking, quit giving Daryl a hard time Merle…..I'm locking the door….nobody else is coming in….there's only but so much crazy I can handle for the night." Grady stated as he locked the door behind them.

"Grady's right, we've been watching the news all afternoon….there's some crazy ass people going around eating people. It's unbelievable!….the world's gone to hell….." Georgia explained.

Inside the bar there were a few pool table and some pub style tables and chairs scattered around. Behind them was a lounge area with two couches and two chairs. There was a big screen tv on the back wall, facing the tv was a couch, another couch to it's left, then the two chairs to the right almost making a box. In the middle was a large coffee table pushed up against the wall with the tv. The actual bar was off on the right just as you entered the door. The bar was long and stretched the majority of the room and at the end was the doorway into the kitchen. Between the bar area and the lounge area was a staircase with a sign that hung on the bottom which read private. On the far left were the public bathrooms. Daryl walked over and sat on a stool at the end of the bar near the kitchen. Grady, Janine and Merle plopped down on the couches, Janine and Merle on one and Grady on the other and began watching more news footage on what was happening outside. Georgia walked behind the bar and rested her shotgun on one of the shelves below.

"So what can I get ya?" Georgia asked Daryl cheerfully. She placed her hands on either side of her on the bar and leaned forward towards Daryl.

"Whiskey…" Daryl replied.

"Why did I even bother to ask…" Georgia said with a smile.

Daryl jokingly gave her the middle finger and as soon as he did she sat a shot glass downward over top of it. Daryl couldn't help but smile but quickly fought back to a straight face as he sat the glass right side up on the counter.

"Same Daryl as ever….." Georgia told him as she sat another shot glass next to his and poured two shots.

As he grabbed for his, she picked up the other and raised it towards him.

"To old friends…" She said. Daryl, silent just clinked his glass against hers and they both chugged it down.

"HEY! What do you fuckers want for dinner?" Georgia yelled at the others. She grabbed a note pad and wrote down what they all hollered out they wanted and then turned her attention back to Daryl and waited for him to speak.

"What?….you're so smart I figured you'd tell me what I want since you think you know me so well with the whiskey and all….." Daryl replied.

Georgia took it as Daryl's way of trying to be playful so she walked back over and stood directly in front of him, looking him square in the face…. "I know what you want Dixon…..I just figured we'd save that for dessert later…what I want to know now is what do you want to eat for dinner?" Georgia smiled a devilish grin at him.

Daryl turned bright red and although it was dimly lit in the bar, she could still see his face turn.

"Alright Daryl….come on….you were always so easy to embarrass…..toughen up…." she said as she gently slapped him on the cheek.

"Just give me a cheeseburger and fries, would ya?" Daryl asked sounding annoyed as he grabbed the whiskey bottle from the bar and headed over to one of the chairs near the tv.

Georgia watched Daryl walk over and quickly the smile from her face faded.

She turned to head into the kitchen as she did she remarked mockingly to herself. "oh no! I can't handle being teased. I'm taking my bottle and going to sit and pout with my pervert brother and his slutty girlfriend…..Guess some things never change…."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY **

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 7

"…..again we repeat…..The police are requesting your cooperation in keeping the streets clear and for those only with necessary business to be on the roads. Otherwise they are asking that you stay in your homes at this times. Keep your doors locked. Medical personnel will only be dispatched for critical emergencies at this time. Again, we can't stress that enough….only if it is an emergency are you to be out of your residence at this time. There are rumors circulating around the country that Marshall Law will soon be declared as active military presence has increased in every major city in the United States. and as soon as we are able to confirm this we will let you know…..I'm just getting…..I'm just getting in some new information here in the studio….the CDC, the Center for Disease Control will be issuing a press conference in about 20 minutes. Please keep your television tuned in to this channel for the most current updates….in the meantime, we will be replaying the home videos sent in from all over the country of incidents that have occurred within the last 24 hours….."

They all sat in silence as they watched the television stream numerous videos from around the country of attacks. People viciously attacking others.

Georgia walked out of the kitchen carrying two plates, she handed one to Grady and the other to Merle. She grabbed the edge of the coffee table and dragged it closer to the couches for them to use as a table. Both Merle and Grady sat their plates on the table and slowly began to eat. Georgia returned to and from the kitchen again with a plate for Janine and Daryl and went back one last time for herself. When she returned she sat in the chair next to Daryl and started to eat.

"So...what's going on now...what else have they said on the news?" Georgia asked.

No one spoke up. She noticed Janine was only picking at her food.

"Is something wrong?" Georgia asked

"Haven't you been listening to this?" Janine snapped at her.

"Actually no….I've been busy cooking YOUR dinner why do you think I just asked?…..forgive me for not being up to speed here, what else has happened?" Georgia asked the others.

Merle shut off the tv with the remote.

"The world's gone to hell is all. Ain't nothin' for us to do about it. There….now we can all eat in peace!" Merle stated as he took a large bite from his burger.

"How can you eat at a time like this? Janine complained.

"Dammit Janine….I don't want to hear your whining. I'm hungry, Daryl's hungry, we're all hungry. Just cause the world is fallin' apart don't mean I'm going to sit back and cry and starve myself to death! Now you don't want to eat….don't eat….otherwise shut the fuck up!" Merle barked at her.

Janine stood up and stomped over to the bar and grabbed a bottle of vodka from behind the counter. She sat on one of the bar stools with her back to everyone and started to drink. Georgia figured she was probably crying when she rested her face in her hand and kept her other on the bottle.

"Gee Merle…..you always had such a way with women….." Georgia joked.

"That's my little spitfire…..the only woman in the world who can dish it back to Merle as he gives it...and the best part is she won't let him touch her!" Grady laughed.

"Maybe not...but Daryl's touched her enough for both of us!" Merle remarked back as they laughed...except Daryl.

Georgia could see Daryl wasn't amused in the slightest. She thought it was actually kind of funny. It had been a long time since she and Daryl had been together. They were just teenagers then, getting drunk and fooling around all the time like two hormonally crazed kids. No matter how much they fooled around, Daryl always kept a wall up. It didn't matter how hard Georgia tried to break it down. It took awhile for Georgia to accept it but she had finally learned to accept Daryl for Daryl.

"So what are we supposed to do if we run into one of these people? Just hide and hope the police come fast enough?"

Merle and Daryl exchanged glances…..

"I'm tired of all this damn talkin' and tv…..damn girl you tryin' to choke us all to death…go and get me somethin' to wash this down with…." Merle demanded.

"Well since you asked so nicely…" Georgia got up and went into the kitchen, out she came with a cooler loaded with ice and she grabbed a bunch of beer, liquor and glasses from behind the wall and carried it over to the coffee table and plopped it all on top.

"There…..take your pick!" She quipped and sat down and proceeded to finish eating.

Daryl snickered a little to himself as he took another swig from his whiskey bottle washing down a mouthful of cheeseburger.

After they finished eating, Georgia gathered all the plates, placing Janine's on top and entered into the kitchen. Just short of the doorway she stopped.

"Janine….I'm putting your plate in the fridge in case you get hungry later."

Janine just looked at her through her messed up hair as she leaned against her almost empty vodka bottle.

Georgia went on into the kitchen and covered her plate with plastic wrap, placing it into the fridge, then she began to wash the dishes.

Janine stumbled in shortly after. "So….you and Daryl huh?" Janine slurred her speech as she staggered in.

"What?…..I don't know…..when we were kids I guess we were…..close…..or at least as close as you can get to a Dixon not that that's saying much…." Georgia told her.

"Mmmmmm….I bet that boy is somethin'….all that pent-up frustration he carries around all the time…..damn!" Janine started running her hands over her body.

Georgia ignored Janine's antics but couldn't help but smile a little to herself thinking about Daryl. It had been a long time since they had slept together and after all these years she could only imagine what it would be like now.

Georgia walked back over to where the men were sitting around the tv as Janine stumbled behind. Grady had already fallen asleep on the couch and Merle and Daryl had been talking when the women approached but stopped as soon as they saw them.

Janine walked over to Merle and straddled his lap, shoving her tongue down his throat. Merle ran his free hand not holding a beer up and down her body.

"Ug…really?" Georgia exclaimed

"…..That ain't nothin', I've seen much worse with the two of them…..' Daryl remarked as Merle and Janine continued groping one another.

Georgia grabbed another bottle of whiskey, shaking it at Daryl…. "Come on Dixon…..got your liquid courage right here…..let's go upstairs…"

Daryl just sat in the chair and stared at her.

Frustrated Georgia shifted her weight to one hip and dropped the bottle down by her side.

"Can you ever learn to take a joke Daryl?….I'm just kidding…come on, let's have a drink….I promise I won't molest you….feel better?" She said with a cheesy smile.

Daryl looked over at Janine and Merle as Janine started to take her shirt off.

"Can't be any worse than stayin' here….." He replied as he followed her up the stairs to the apartment above.

"Gee thanks Daryl...I see Merle is starting to rub off on you..." She joked back.

Daryl couldn't remember the last time he was in the apartment but once up there he remembered it looked exactly the same as it used to. Once at the top of the stairs, the apartment opened up into a kitchenette/living room. It had a pull out couch which was already open and looked ready to climb into. There was one bedroom, which was Grady's and one bathroom.

Georgia plopped onto her side on the fold out bed, with one arm propped up on it's elbow supporting her head and the other holding the bottle of whiskey. She leaned the bottle against her stomach then patted the bed with the palm of her hand.

"Come on Dixon….don't be shy…" She told him.

Reluctantly Daryl sat on the edge of the bed and took his boots off. He grabbed two pillows and tucked them under his head as he laid down on his back.

"Stay on your side….." Daryl told her

"Don't you want some?" She asked as she waved the whiskey bottle again back and forth. "Oh….but I can't share without coming onto your side of the bed….." She joked.

Daryl quickly turned over on his side and leaned his face in close to hers. His mouth inches from hers. For a moment Georgia thought he was going to kiss her and the butterflies in her stomach wiped the smile right off her face. Daryl started to smirk and jerked the whiskey bottle out of her hand and laid back on his back with the pillows propping him up, taking a large swig from the bottle.

"You're such a bastard!" She laughed as they proceeded to pass the bottle back and forth….


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY **

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 8

Daryl laid on the bed and laughed at Georgia as she attempted to throw away the whiskey bottle into the trash can. At first she tried tossing it from the bed but it bounced off the edge and onto the floor. She stumbled off the bed and picked the bottle from the floor, quick to steady herself to keep from falling when she bent over. She stood back up and tossed it towards the trash can again, still missing.

"Seriously?" Georgia laughed as she picked it up off the floor and gently placed it into the trash. "I don't know how I didn't break that into a million pieces…." She laughed as she stumbled back over towards the bed.

"It must be stubborn like you…."Daryl remarked as he smiled watching her stumble her way back across the room. Even though Daryl would've never admitted to it, Georgia always managed to make him forget about whatever was bothering him. The days events were more than Georgia's antics could handle but her stroll down memory lane of the trouble they'd get into as teens along with the overdrinking of alcohol, Daryl had managed to push it all to the back of his mind for the time being.

"Wait…." Georgia said as she stood next to the bed. "I forgot to get ready for bed…."

Daryl watched her stumble over to her backpack sitting on a chair near the kitchenette. She pulled clothing from it and headed off to the bathroom. When she returned a few minutes later, she was only wearing a short black thin strapped tank top and a pair of black skimpy boy shorts. She threw her clothes she had worn across the chair and climbed back over in the bed. Daryl didn't take his eyes off of her the whole way. It always amazed him how she still managed to make the simplest things appear sexy without even trying.

She climbed up from the foot of the bed and knelt down next to Daryl. She had a hair band in her hand and started to wrap her medium length hair into a bun on top of her head. Daryl sat up and grabbed the hair band from her and threw it on the floor.

"What did you do that for?" Georgia asked astonished by his behavior.

"Leave it down…." Daryl ordered.

Before she had a chance to say anything else he grabbed her around the waist with one hand and a hold of her thigh with the other and pulled her onto his lap. Daryl paused for a second with her straddling his lap and brushed her hair back from her face. He cupped one hand against her cheek, pulling her in close, kissing her hard on the mouth.

Georgia had been waiting all night for Daryl to make a move. She had about given up hope that he would. She knew him well enough to know that any attempts on her part would be fruitless because when it came to women it always had to be on Daryl's terms. Although now that he had made the first move she took full advantage of it and shoved her tongue in his mouth as he kissed her again.

Daryl felt Georgia pulled up his t-shirt when by reflex he grabbed her by the wrists and stopped her. She pulled away from their embrace enough to look him in the face. Daryl had always noticed whenever she was turned on her eyes turned a brighter shade of green like they were in that moment. Quietly she spoke to him. "…..I've already seen all your scars Daryl…."

Daryl relaxed and let her pull his t-shirt over his head and as soon as he was free, he dove into her neck and ran the length of her neck from the base up to the jaw with his tongue. He could feel the goosebumps on her skin as he gently bit her on her jaw line and worked his way back over to her mouth. Slowly he lifted her tank top, running his hands against her sides up towards the sides of her breasts. She raised her arms above her head to keep his hands moving uninterrupted as he pulled the tank top over her head and threw it in the floor. Georgia reached down and undid his belt and pants as she worked her way down his neck and across his shoulder with her mouth, then ran her hands around his waist pulling him closer. Daryl felt his whole body began to tingle. He ran his hand slowly up the length of her spine and grabbed her by the back of her neck. Quickly he spun her around and onto her back while with the other hand shoved off his pants and boxers and kicked them onto the floor. Daryl covered her mouth with his as their tongues fought for dominance in each other's mouth. He felt her hips tilt up into his and he pressed against her hard. Only her underwear was in the way of him fully feeling the warmth of her body. Quickly Daryl worked his way with his tongue down the length of her torso just stopping briefly at one breast with his mouth around her nipple and his hand cupping the other breast. He worked his way down her stomach and kissed his way passed her naval until he reached the top of her underwear. She arched her back almost unable to wait for his next move. Daryl pulled off her underwear with both hands down her thighs and stopped for a moment as he tossed them into the floor and admired the firmness of her body.

Georgia propped herself up to her elbows afraid for a brief moment that Daryl would change his mind. He calmed her fears as he climbed back on top of her, kissing her deeply. Georgia grabbed him by the back of his neck and wrapped both her legs around his waist. Daryl put one hand on her hip while supporting himself with the other to keep her from pulling him into her. He teased he slightly with the tip of his hard penis until she gasped in frustration.

"Daryl you're killin' me! What are you waiting for?" She asked trying to catch her breath.

Daryl smiled slightly and then plunged into her so deeply that she couldn't help but cry out. He pumped his hips vigorously into her as she met his rhythm with each thrust. He continued the pace as he buried his face into her neck slightly resting his weight on top of her until she cried out and dug her nails gently into his back. At which point Daryl came as he slowed his thrusts until he was finished releasing into her. Both their bodies stopped writhing in pleasure and Daryl just laid on top of her until she loosened her grip with her legs around his waist and straightened them out onto the bed. Daryl pushed himself back up onto his arms so his weight would no longer be on her and he kissed her gently repeatedly.

Daryl rolled off of her onto his side with his back towards her. Georgia remained on her back with her eyes closed trying to catch her breath. Once her breathing settled, she turned over to her side so she could watch him breathe. It was the closest she could get to cuddling after sex since that was one thing he never did. Affection was never Daryl's thing. It was only during the act itself that he was affectionate and passionate beyond what anyone would expect but as soon as it was over he went back into hiding within himself. Georgia traced all the scars on his back with her eyes knowing they were the cause of it. She listened to him breathe until she fell asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY **

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 9

Georgia woke up the next morning before anyone else. Sitting up, she looked over at Daryl asleep next to her. Still in the same position with his back towards her. Georgia slid down to the end of the bed and stepped onto the floor. She made her way to the bathroom, showered and pulled a thin strapped gray tank top and jean mini skirt from her backpack. She grabbed her brown boots from the floor next to the chair, sat on the bed and pulled them on. She turned and looked at Daryl one last time before heading downstairs. He still hadn't moved.

Georgia walked downstairs over near the tv and saw Grady, Merle and Janine all passed out on the couches. She wanted to turn on the tv to get caught up on what was happening but she didn't want to wake everyone either. She had watched for a few hours with Grady before Merle and Daryl arrived and saw the footage of all the random attacks. Grady decided to close the bar the rest of the day because he didn't want some crazy wandering into the bar until they knew exactly what they were dealing with. Georgia gathered things had gotten worse but since she spent most of the evening in the kitchen, she felt like she had missed all the updates. Georgia figured if there was something she really needed to know someone would've told her but once everyone was awake, she'd turn on the tv and get caught up.

Beer and liquor bottles were everywhere. One by one, Georgia picked up the bottles, carrying them into the kitchen and placing them in a small recycle bin. Once the bin was full. She carried it on her hip and exited out the back door. The sunlight was blinding at first, squinting, she made her way over to the large recycle bin behind the bar. The bottles clanked against each other, some breaking as she dumped them in. She turned to head back when someone caught her eye across the street. She shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand and observed a man kneeling in the grass. He just sat there and didn't move. Georgia thought she recognized the man as someone who frequented the bar daily. She sat the small recycle bin back down on the gravel parking lot near the back door of the bar and started to walk towards the man in the grass.

"CHARLIE?….." Georgia called out. The man didn't move. The closer she got the more sure she was it was him.

"CHARLIE SHELTON?…." She called out again. Georgia jogged across the road and stepped onto the grassy area where the man was kneeling.

"Charlie?…..Are you alright? What's the ma…" Before Georgia could finish the man turned his head and hissed at her.

Georgia's eyes widened and she stumbled backwards, loosing her balance as she fell off the curb and landed flat on her back on the pavement. She lifted her head and started to push herself back up when she saw the man slowly rise to his feet and follow after her. Georgia scurried to her feet and ran back towards the bar as fast as she could.

.

Daryl had heard Georgia rustling around between the living room and the bathroom. He pretended to still be asleep to avoid any awkward morning small talk. Once he knew she was downstairs he got up, showered himself and got dressed. He headed downstairs and wandered into the kitchen. He looked around for something to eat but he didn't really have much of an appetite. The only thing he had from drinking so much was a headache.

The light bleeding in from the open back door caught Daryl's attention. He walked towards it and was about to look outside when he heard a scream. Daryl pushed the door open with full force and ran out. He didn't see anyone behind the bar. He heard the scream again, this time from his left and when he looked he saw Georgia running full force from the street with a walker following after her. As she made her way back onto the gravel parking lot another walker stepped out from behind a trash dumpster and ran into her, knocking her down. Daryl ran towards her as fast as he could, grabbing the metal lid off one of the small trash cans. As he got close, he swung full force hitting the walker in the face, knocking him back. Daryl struck the walker a few more times, then picked up a metal pipe he saw laying off to the side on the ground. Daryl beat it in the head until it stopped moving.

"DARYL!" Georgia screamed as the other walker approached, Daryl swung as hard as he could, cracking it's head open as the pipe came in contact. Before the walker had time to hit the ground, Daryl dropped the pipe, grabbed Georgia by the arm, dragged her to her feet as they both ran back to the bar. Daryl shoved Georgia inside and slammed the door behind him, locking it back.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKIN'?" Daryl yelled at her.

They both struggled to catch their breath. Georgia looked white as a ghost. She stuttered as she tried to speak but couldn't bring herself to say anything. She leaned against the wall of the kitchen and sat on the floor with her knees bent. She couldn't find the words to speak.

Daryl was fuming mad. He kept pacing back and forth waiting for Georgia to answer but once she sat down he noticed the blood running down both her legs and into her boots. Rocks and dirt covered both her scraped up knees. Daryl grabbed her underneath the arm and jerked her back up on her feet, dragging her out into the main bar and then up the stairs to the apartment. Georgia, still in shock, struggled to keep up with him. Once in the kitchen area Daryl grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up to where she was sitting on the counter.

"DON'T MOVE…." Daryl barked at her as he headed back down the stairs. He came back up a few minutes later with a bottle of vodka. He sat it roughly on the counter, then grabbed Georgia's boots one by one and pulled them off, throwing them on the floor. He did it so roughly Georgia had to hold tight to the counter to keep from falling off. He cracked off the top of the vodka bottle and poured some out onto both her knees.

Georgia jumped from the stinging in both her knees. Daryl grabbed a clean towel from one of the drawers, soaked it in water and began scrubbing the dirt and rocks from her wounds.

"You're hurting me….." Georgia managed to finally speak.

"FINE…..DO IT YOUR DAMN SELF THEN! YOU CAN'T HAVE THAT GET INFECTED!" He yelled as he threw the towel into her lap.

Georgia brought one leg up on the counter and began to pick the rocks from her wound and she continued to clean off her knees. Daryl plopped down on the bed, leaning forward onto his knees with his elbows. He pulled a cigarette from the pack in his pocket and lit it. He took a long hard drag from it and blew out the smoke.

"I'm sorry….." Georgia told him. "I don't understand what just happened…" Was all she knew to say.

Daryl took a deep breath. "How can you not understand? You been watchin' the news….there's somethin' wrong with people. You gotta be more careful."

"I haven't watched as much as y'all...I didn't think it was here...I just thought….." Georgia started to say before Daryl interrupted her.

"That's just it, you ain't thinkin'...you can't just run around without payin' attention...you think Grady just locked the bar for shits and giggles? Daryl asked frustrated. "...there's somethin' the news ain't sayin'..." Daryl stated as he started to calm down.

Georgia looked up at Daryl with concern. "What do you mean?"

Daryl ran his hand through his hair as he took another drag from his cigarette. All he could think about was what happened in the shop. John...Jackson...the reality of it all was sinking in hard for Daryl. Now two more men...Daryl wondered how many more there would be that they would see first hand. "They keep talking about the attacks on the news but they ain't sayin' what happens after somebody gets attacked. They ain't sayin'...Those things out there...they ain't people no more..."

Georgia hopped down off the counter, tugged at her skirt then sat on the bed next to Daryl. She took the cigarette from his hand and took a drag off it. "I don't understand...how can you say that?"

Daryl jumped back up to his feet. "HOW CAN I SAY THAT?...CAUSE THEY AIN'T! THAT'S HOW!... YOU CALLIN' ME A LIAR NOW?" The calmness that had just entered Daryl's voice left just as quickly as it came.

"Daryl that's not what I meant...I'm just sayin' I ..."

"BULLSHIT! I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYIN'. I TIRED OF ALL THIS DAMN TALKIN' ANYHOW...I'M DONE HERE!."

"Daryl wait..." Georgia started to go after him as he marched down the stairs. He stopped halfway and turned back towards her.

"ME AND MERLE ARE LEAVIN'. YOU WANT TO RUN AROUND WITHOUT THINKIN' AND GET YOURSELF KILLED...SEE IF I CARE...I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!..."

Daryl walked the rest of the way down the stairs. "MERLE! GET YOUR DRUNK ASS UP! WE GOTTA GO!"

Groggily, Merle rubbed his eyes and sat up. "What the hell is with all the yellin'?" He complained.

"Merle we need to go...we gotta get out of here." Daryl told him.

"What's for breakfast?" Merle asked

Frustrated Daryl started to raise his voice at Merle. "We ain't got time to eat! Come on... let's go!"

Merle looked up at Daryl. He looked over at the stairs and saw Georgia standing on the bottom stair. She looked stunned and as if she were fighting back tears. Merle noticed her skinned knees.

"What the hell happened to you?" Merle asked.

Grady woke up from all the chatter and rubbed his eyes. He noticed Georgia's knees and quickly rose to his feet. "Darlin' what happened?"

"Uncle Grady...we saw...I mean...I don't even know what to say..." Georgia remarked feeling confused and at a loss for words. She looked over at Daryl for some sort of help but he just stared at the floor chewing on the skin around his nails.

"What did you see?" Grady asked as he walked over to comfort her.

Merle stood up and stepped over directly in front of Daryl. "Speak up boy...what happened?"

"There was two of 'em out back...they attacked Georgia..." Daryl finally spoke up.

Merle's eyes widened... "Girl you've been bit?" He asked.

"No I just scraped my knees when I fell...I'm ok...Daryl was there..." Georgia replied.

Grady hugged Georgia tightly, relieved she was alright. "You sure you're alright girl?"

Georgia nodded her head. Although she was grateful for her uncle's comfort, she would've preferred if it was Daryl. She couldn't understand why he was so angry at her. How could she have known it was this bad. Even though Grady was concerned enough to shut down the bar, she figured it wasn't happening there. She felt stupid for being so wrong. Daryl was right, she wasn't thinking and should've been more careful.

"Park it Daryl...we'll leave when I say we're leavin'...let's see what they're sayin' now on tv..." Merle stated as he grabbed the remote and pushed the power button...


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY **

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 10

They all sat just staring at the television in silence. Saying all hell had broken loose was an understatement. Georgia sat leaning forward in the chair with her face in her hands just listening. She couldn't bring herself to watch anymore. Janine sat close to Merle with her arm intertwined with his as Daryl sat there just staring at the tv chewing on the skin around his fingers. They watched for a few hours until all the channels went off air and to color bars. The loud tone coming from the tv quickly annoyed Merle as he shut the tv off.

No one knew what to say at first. Finally Janine stood up "We can't stay here...we're all going to die...Merle?...we're all going to die here!" Janine started to panic.

"Dammit Janine...just calm down!" Merle ordered.

"I'M SERIOUS MERLE! WE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE, THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME PLACE SAFE!" Janine screamed at him as she started to head towards the door.

"WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?" Merle yelled back at her.

"JANINE STOP! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT COULD BE OUT THERE!" Georgia yelled after her.

Janine swung the front door open hard and ran outside. Merle ran after her as Daryl frantically looked around for where they had placed their handguns. Once he found them he ran after Merle with a gun in each hand.

Georgia started to follow but Grady stopped her. "Darlin' they're big boys...let them handle it..."

.

Janine had run over by Daryl's truck behind the bar. Janine kicked and screamed the whole way back to the bar as Merle resorted to flipping her over his shoulder and carrying her back. As they rounded the corner towards the door they heard the blast from a shotgun.

Merle practically threw Janine on the ground but grabbed a hold of her arm and dragged her into the bar, still screaming. He had his gun that Daryl had given him in the other hand and he followed behind Daryl, who had his gun raised.

As they entered the bar, they heard a second blast. Georgia was standing behind the bar with her shotgun raised, her eyes wide as a walker continued to head towards her with two gaping holes in it's chest. Grady was lying in a pool of his own blood in the floor not far from the door.

"It has to be in the head Georgia..." Merle hollered at her.

Daryl aimed and shot the walker in the head. As it dropped to the floor, Georgia slowly came out from behind the bar still clutching the shotgun. Once she saw the walker was no longer moving, she ran over and knelt down by her uncle, resting the shotgun on the floor next to her. Shocked at first she didn't know what to do. She was afraid to touch him not knowing where to begin.

"We have to do something..." Georgia managed to spit out. "Get me towels...do something...help me!" Georgia pleaded.

Merle locked the door behind him and headed over towards Georgia as he left Janine as a blubbering mess on the floor. Janine wailed as she buried her face into the floor as she laid near the door.

"It's too late sweetness..." Merle remarked.

Daryl just stood there not knowing what or if he should say anything.

"NO!" was the only thing Georgia could spit out before she began to cry. She stood up and grabbed Merle by the shirt. "DO SOMETHING...PLEASE!" she pleaded with him.

When Merle didn't respond, she wiped the tears from her face and rushed over to Daryl. "Please Daryl...please, there's got to be something you can do...DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" She yelled at him. Daryl couldn't even look at her.

Georgia turned back to Merle. "Merle?..." Tears began to steadily stream down her face.

Merle walked closer to Grady and held up his handgun, aiming at his head. Before he could fire, Georgia ran over and grabbed his gun. Merle gripped tighter refusing to let go.

"Girl...you need to let go." He told her.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" She screamed.

"He's dead...it's got to be done..." Merle told her.

"NO! NO YOU DON'T..." Georgia screamed at him again. She let go of Merle's gun and knelt back down next to her uncle. She stared at his lifeless body as she continued to cry. Merle was right...he was dead.

"Merle..." Daryl said as he looked at Merle waiting for him to do something.

Merle looked over at Daryl and lowered his gun by his side. "Let her see it...maybe then it'll sink in..."

"Come on Merle...don't..." Daryl pleaded with him.

Merle stepped back and turned around to look at Janine. She balled as she laid on the floor. "This is all your damn fault!" He told her. "If you hadn't gone running out there like a lunatic, it wouldn't have gotten in here..." He said to her coldly.

"Dammit Merle..." Daryl said as he raised his gun and started to walk closer to Grady.

"NO! LET 'EM BOTH SEE IT...LET THEM SEE WHAT HAPPENS...BOTH OF 'EM WANT TO ACT LIKE STUPID BITCHES GOIN' OUTSIDE WITHOUT THINKIN' THEN LET ME SEE WHAT REALLY HAPPENS..." Merle screamed at Daryl as he stomped off to the back of the bar and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. Merle slammed it on the counter along with a glass and poured himself a stiff one.

"God Damn stupid bitches...that man and I've been friends our whole lives...now look...just look at him!" Merle stated right before he chugged down the whiskey. He slammed the glass back on the bar and poured another.

Daryl walked over next to Georgia and gently grabbed her by her arm, lifting her back to her feet. "Come on..." He said as he led her back over to the bar. Daryl led her to one of the stools and she sat down. Daryl sat down next to her. He fired up a cigarette as they all sat in silence.

A few hours had passed and nothing had happened. Daryl started to wonder if they had it wrong somehow. Maybe he wouldn't turn. Finally Georgia spoke up. "What are we waiting for?"

Daryl looked over at her not knowing what to say. He was beginning to have doubts himself. It made him wonder what really happened with Jackson. He didn't know what to think about anything at this point. Up until the end the news reports only referred to it as an outbreak but never explained how or why it happened, most importantly they never fully mentioned the reanimation...

Merle walked up behind them on the opposite side of the bar. "That's what you're waitin' for..." as he pointed over at Grady.

Daryl and Georgia turned their heads and looked over at Grady. Georgia watched in horror as he began to reanimate. A part of Daryl had hoped they could've been wrong, that Grady wouldn't come back like this but now he too realized this could happen to any one of them.

Daryl slowly rose from his stool as walker Grady started to sit up. Grady hissed and growled as he looked at Georgia and Daryl. Georgia had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from screaming. Daryl aimed his weapon at Grady's head. Georgia couldn't watch...she had seen enough. She ran across the bar and up the stairs.

She heard the gunshot as Janine started to scream hysterically again.

"Dammit Janine...you got to fuckin' get a hold of yourself..." Merle yelled at her as he walked over to her. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her over to the couch and pushed her towards it. "Now calm yourself..."

Merle sat down in one of the chairs and rubbed his head. Daryl walked over and stood near Merle.

"What are you doin' here?" Merle asked him.

"Huh?" Daryl was confused not knowing what Merle meant.

"Get your ass upstairs...make sure she's alright...once this one quits makin' so much noise, we're leaving...but I ain't going down the road with this one wailing and makin' so much damn noise. Make sure Georgia packs her things...we ain't comin' back." Merle instructed as he rested his gun on the coffee table.

Reluctantly, Daryl headed upstairs...


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY **

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 11

Daryl stood at the top of the stairs just staring at Georgia as she laid on the bed. He had stood there for about 5 minutes when she looked over her shoulder at him.

"You just going to stand there all day?" Georgia asked him, tear stains down both her cheeks. Daryl didn't think he had ever seen her look so sad. "You can come over here you know." She said as she wiped the half dried tears from her face.

Daryl slowly walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge near her. She looked up at him with her big green eyes but they were a shade darker than he had ever noticed before. Daryl turned back away from her leaving his back towards her.

"What happens next..." She asked him

"Merle says we're leaving...you and Janine are comin' with us...not sure where though but it ain't safe to stay here." Daryl instructed.

"Do you think there is anywhere safe?" She asked.

Daryl sighed not knowing what it was that Georgia wanted to hear or how he should answer. "I don't know..."

Georgia scooted closer to Daryl on the bed, sitting next to him. She rested her hands on either side of her legs as she slightly leaned forward. She just stared at the floor. With his left hand, he wrapped it around her wrist and gently caressed her arm with his thumb. It was a small, subtle gesture compared to most but for Daryl it was huge and Georgia knew it. She was almost too afraid to look at him, afraid he would jerk away and right now all she wanted was some comfort although she was beginning to feel nothing would make her feel any better.

Merle made his way up the stairs as Janine started to quiet down.

"Don't just sit there you two...pack up your shit, let's go while the gettin's good and Janine isn't wailin'. "

Daryl stood up and looked at Georgia. Slowly she rose to her feet and began to pack her things. She was frustrated that Merle couldn't have waited another second but she didn't have the energy to argue or even say much of anything. She felt like she was in a nightmare and unable to wake up. She kept wondering if there was something she could've done differently, would it have even made a difference. Quickly her thoughts went to her sister. She'd have to try calling before they left and make sure she and her family were safe. Georgia wondered if she would ever see them again.

All three of them jumped as they heard a loud bang from downstairs. They all ran downstairs and Merle stopped short just at the bottom. Georgia couldn't help but run into Daryl slightly bumping him, forcing him to take a step forward as he placed his hand on Merle's shoulder to keep from running into him. Neither Daryl or Merle moved. Georgia stepped around Daryl to see what had happened when she noticed Janine's lifeless body on the couch and could smell the fresh gunpowder.

"Oh God!" Georgia stated as she put her hand over her mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick..." She said as she ran back upstairs.

"Merle..." Daryl stated as Merle just stood there staring at her in silence. He didn't move or say a word. He just stood there and stared with a blank look on his face.

Daryl stepped out from behind Merle and slowly walked over to Janine and removed Merle's handgun from her hand. Daryl turned and handed the gun towards the emotionless Merle. Merle just looked at it for a moment then looked back at Daryl.

"I don't want it...give it to her..." Merle said as he nodded his head back towards the stairwell. "I'll get the shotgun..." He said as he walked away and towards Grady's lifeless body.

"Merle?...You alright?" Daryl asked

Merle took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he squatted down to pick up the shotgun. "...Just as well anyhow...she couldn't handle it...she would've just slowed us down or caused problems for us..." Merle stated but he wouldn't look back at Daryl. "Go get your girl...I ain't fuckin' around here no more..."

Daryl looked at Merle and then back over at Janine.

"WHAT?...WHATCHA LOOKIN' AT?" Merle shouted. "SHE'S DEAD! STUPID BITCH SHOT HERSELF IN THE HEAD...THESE ARE NEW TIMES NOW BOY...IT'S THE DAWN OF A NEW DAY..." Merle took a deep breath before he finished..."YOU CAN'T HACK IT?...YOU'RE BETTER OFF DOIN' THAT TO YOURSELF!...at least she had the guts to it."

"Then let's get out of here..." Georgia said as she stood at the bottom of the stairs with her backpack slung over her shoulder. "I don't want to be in this bar anymore..."

She started to walk past Daryl when he stuck his arm out and stopped her. Georgia looked down and saw the side of the handgun he was holding against her stomach. "Merle says for you to take it..."

Georgia took the gun from Daryl and headed over behind the bar. "Just let me make a call..." She stated as she picked up the phone and started to dial. She stopped short, hanging up the phone and picking it up again. Daryl noticed the color drain from her face as she continued to mess with the phone. Finally she stopped and looked up at him. "Phone's dead..."

"Well then let's go...no more fuckin' around." Merle instructed.

The three of them cautiously walked outside with Merle leading the way with the shotgun and Daryl behind with his own gun. Merle got onto his bike as Georgia climbed into the truck with Daryl. Daryl looked over at her and as he turned the key in the ignition he spoke. "You ready?"

Georgia looked at Daryl and paused before she answered. "About as ready as I'm gonna be."

Merle pulled up next to Daryl's truck on the driver's side. "Daryl...I gotta make a stop first...we're going up to Billy's house...I need to pick up a few things..."

Daryl wasn't thrilled to hear Merle wanted to make a pit stop at Billy's house but after what happened with Janine regardless how much Merle acted like he didn't care, no one could go unaffected by it. Billy was Merle's drug supplier, but he didn't argue with Merle. He just nodded his head.

Merle pulled off first and Daryl followed behind. As they drove down the road, Georgia leaned her against the window and stared outward...


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY **

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 12

Daryl headed down the road way after Merle for a few miles. The town was strangely quiet and seemed deserted. One of the last broadcasts on the news mentioned a refugee center in Atlanta as well as other major cities. Daryl didn't know if Merle had a plan or not. At that moment, he almost didn't care where they went as long as they didn't run into any more trouble, he had his fill of trouble for awhile.

They turned off the main road onto a long dirt driveway. At the end of the driveway was an old large farmhouse. They pulled around the back of the house and parked. Merle got off his bike and Georgia and Daryl climbed out of the truck. They walked up to the front door as Merle knocked.

They stood there for a few minutes but no one answered. Merle told them to stay there and keep trying as he stepped off porch and walked around to the back of the house. Merle called out to Billy a few times but there was no answer.

Daryl and Georgia had been on the porch for about five minutes and Merle hadn't returned.

"Merle should be back by now…it doesn't take five damn minutes to check the back of the house." Daryl stated as he started to walk off the porch.

At that moment they heard the doorknob turn and the door creaked open. Daryl quickly moved back up towards the door and pushed Georgia behind him as he raised his gun.

"Don't point that God Damn thing at me…." Merle stated as he opened the door wide.

Both Georgia and Daryl breathed a sigh of relief as Daryl lowered the gun to his side.

"Come on….ain't nobody in here and he ain't comin' back neither." Merle told them.

"What makes you say that?" Daryl asked as they entered into the house and Merle shut the door, locking it behind them.

"Cause Billy done blew his brains out in the barn out back….that's what…." Merle stated. "We only got a few more hours of sunlight and I don't think it's a good idea to be out after dark not bein' able to see what's sneakin' up on us….we'll get a fresh start at first dawn…in the meantime, we'll go through the house and take whatever supplies we can find."

They all settled in and found something to eat. Merle searched the house for any weapons and of course drugs. He was able to find a small stash of drugs but it was big enough for him to be happy about. Merle found a mirror and razor blade, then cut a line of coke to snort. Daryl just shook his head and headed upstairs as Georgia followed behind.

"You two kids have fun tonight….." Merle hollered at them as they went. "….may be the last time you're in a bed for awhile…." Merle laughed to himself taking a big sigh as he sat in a chair in silence. He brushed the powder off his nose as he stared out the window.

.

Daryl started to enter one of the bedrooms as Georgia paused behind him for a moment then started to head further down the hallway. Daryl noticed her pause and stepped back out in the doorway.

"Where you goin'?" He asked her.

Georgia stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around. "I wasn't sure if you wanted to be in the same room with me…."

"Why?..." Daryl asked her looking somewhat confused.

"I don't know Daryl….maybe because I never know what to expect from you or the fact that you couldn't have been angrier with me this morning over what happened when I went outside….I just can't ever tell with you sometimes." She replied.

Daryl just looked at her for a moment and started to head back into his room. "Just shut up and come on…."

Georgia remained in the hallway for a moment just staring back at the doorway. Slowly she followed him in and found him lying on his back with one hand behind his head against the pillow and the other near his mouth, again chewing on the skin around his nails. Daryl didn't look at her again. He just stared towards the window. Georgia sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off her boots, tossing them in the floor.

"Can I ask you something Daryl?"

Daryl didn't answer, he just looked at her as he continued chewing on his fingers and waited for her to continue.

Georgia looked over her shoulder and noticed she had his attention.

"Will you promise not to let what happened to Uncle Grady happen to me?" She asked him.

Daryl quit chewing on his fingers and propped himself up on his elbows. "Don't say that shit….I ain't gonna let no one hurt you and neither will Merle…"

"You might not have a say in it Daryl….just promise if one of those things kill me don't let me turn into what he did."

"Shut up Georgia….quit talkin' like that….I ain't gonna hear it.."Daryl laid back down putting both arms behind his head an just stared at the ceiling.

Georgia turned completely towards Daryl and crawled up along side him on the bed but instead of just laying next to him, she curled up close, sliding one arm under his shoulder and the other around his chest and laid her head under his chin. She could feel Daryl tense up.

"What are you doin'?" Daryl blurted out.

"Just shut up and relax…it won't kill you. Just humor me for once…." She told him.

Slowly Daryl's body began to relax as one by one he removed his arms behind his head, letting his head rest fully on the pillow and wrapped them both around her.

"See…is that really so bad?..." Georgia asked him softly.

Daryl didn't say anything at first, he just concentrated on not holding his breath. He closed his eyes and said the only thing he could think of.

"Sorry about Grady…."

Georgia tightened her grip slightly around Daryl's waist. She couldn't think of a time when she was just able to lie in his arms. She was grateful he didn't turn away from her but she was sorry it took the end of the world for him not to…


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY **

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 13

Daryl woke up and the room was almost pitch black. He had no idea what time it was and he could just barely hear Merle's snoring coming from downstairs. Georgia was still lying in his arms and from the way she was breathing he could tell she was sound asleep. Daryl slowly turned to his side to face her and just as he was settling into position, she began to stir. Georgia lifted her head and looked at Daryl as she rubbed her eyes with her hand, seeing he was awake.

"What time is it?..." She asked.

"I'm not sure..." He replied.

Georgia figured Daryl was probably tired of her lying against him. "I'm sorry...I'll scoot over..." She told him as she started to turn away from him.

Daryl put his hand on her hip to keep her from rolling over. "It's ok..." was all he replied.

Georgia looked at him confused for a moment as Daryl moved closer to her sliding his hand up her back. At first she thought he was taking his brother's advise but all he did next was lie his head back down as he pulled the pillow closer and closed his eyes. She wasn't sure what to think. Slowly, Georgia leaned in resting her head against his chest, with her arm around his waist still waiting for him to pull away at any moment but the more time that went by without him moving, the more she relaxed and drifted back off to sleep.

.

They all got up shortly after sunrise. Georgia slightly in disbelief that she managed to sleep the whole night in Daryl's arms but she wasn't complaining.

They headed back down the road this time with Daryl leading the way. Merle thought they would be safer away from any towns or cities. They'd find some place to set up camp and only go into the cities for more supplies until someone came up with a solution for everything to get back to normal. _It'll just seem like a long camping trip..._was Merle's attitude. They had some food already, took whatever was non perishable from Billy's house, weapons, a couple of tents in back of Daryl's truck, they were set as far as he was concerned.

"Oh my God!..." Georgia yelled as she watched a woman run towards the truck from the side of the road, frantically flagging them down.

"I ain't stoppin'" Daryl told her.

"Daryl please...she might need help...just stop, she doesn't look sick..." Georgia told her.

Reluctantly Daryl stopped his truck as Merle slowed behind him.

"WHAT THE FUCK YOU STOPPIN' FOR, GET BACK IN THE TRUCK!..." Merle yelled at both of them as he watched them get out with the woman running towards them.

The woman ran up to Georgia and grabbed her by both arms. "Please help me... my little boy is sick...please help me!" The woman pleaded as she started to lead Georgia back towards her house.

Georgia resisted, not knowing if she should trust the woman. "Wait...what's wrong with your son?"

"Take your hands off her!" Daryl barked at the woman.

"WHAT THE FUCK, BITCH YOU BETTER GET BACK OR I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL SHOOT YOU!" Merle said as he approached with his gun raised.

"Please...the phones are out, I can't call 911, my son has a high fever, I just want to take him to the hospital but I can't get the car started. Please...I'm begging you...he's just a little boy." the woman pleaded.

Georgia looked at Daryl, her eyes widened as if she wanted to say _how can we not at least try to help. _

"Has he been bit?" Merle asked her.

"What? Bit?" The woman looked confused.

"Don't play stupid bitch, I know you've seen the news, what the fuck is wrong with your kid?"

"Look...I don't know what you want to hear but I'll do anything...please...this is my only child, I can't lose him. Just a ride is all I want...put us in the back of your truck, I promise nothing will happen to you, just drop us off at a hospital...please..." The woman started to weep.

Georgia understood Merle's resistance...she was afraid too but at the same time it was a child...how could they not at least see if there was something they could do. "It's a child...we have to try..."

Hestitantly, Georgia walked with the woman towards her house.

"God dammit Daryl...can't you keep her on a leash? This is a bad idea..." Merle told him.

The Dixon brothers ran to catch up with the woman and Georgia. The woman kept a strong hold on Georgia's arm all the way back to the house. Daryl and Merle exchanged multiple glances.

"I'll fuckin' shoot her and her kid in a heartbeat if things get bad...you know I will..." Merle stated to Daryl.

"I don't doubt you brother...we'll just look. What if the kid is just sick and that's it?"

"This is the last time we do somethin' like this...you hear me? From now on, anyone who is sick is on their own...I don't care if it's a kid or not...this is the last time. You're going to have to get that through Sweetness' thick skull...you got that?" Merle asked him and Daryl nodded his head.

The woman opened the front door and led the three of them through the living room and into the hallway. They turned into the first bedroom on the right.

"Please...you have to help him." The woman stated as she pushed Georgia past her and towards her son. Daryl and Merle followed close behind. Merle shoved the woman back into the hallway making sure she kept her distance from them as she settled back into the doorway. The three of them looked at the young boy who appeared to be about twelve. His face was colorless and he laid still on the bed.

"There ain't nothin' to do...let's go!" Merle stated.

Georgia knew Merle was right, there was no saving this child...he was already dead.

"No...don't say that..." The woman said as she started to cry. "He's alive...he was just alive right before I went outside! He's not dead...we can help him...just get him to a hospital!"

"Lady, hospitals ain't takin' new people anyways...they're packed full last we heard on the news...it's over...just accept it." Merle barked at her.

Georgia looked past Daryl, who was standing next to her, and spoke to the woman. "Ma'am I'm sorry but he's right...I'm afraid your little boy has passed..." She told her trying to be as gentle as possible. Georgia looked back at the young boy. She knew this was the type of news that no matter how gentle someone tried to be it wouldn't matter but having someone like Merle break the news to you was just that much worse.

"He was just alive...don't say that...there has to be something...I just lost my husband last night, I can't lose him too." The woman cried.

Daryl looked at Merle and both their eyes widened. "Where?" Merle asked the woman.

Confused the woman looked at Merle as tears streamed down her face. She didn't respond.

"DAMMIT WOMAN! WHERE DID HE DIE? IS HE HERE?" Merle yelled at her only causing her to cry harder.

"MERLE! HER SON JUST DIED! SCREAMING AT HER ISN'T GOING TO HELP GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS!" Georgia yelled at him.

Merle pushed Daryl out of the way and towards the door as he got in Georgia's face. "LISTEN HERE...THIS IS ASKING FOR TROUBLE! GET YOUR ASS BACK IN THAT TRUCK BEFORE I CARRY YOU BACK!"

Merle and Georgia began to yell back and forth at each other. Daryl looked back at the woman and something in the hallway caught his eye. He raised his gun, the woman looked at Daryl in shock and speechless. Before Daryl could shoot, the walker, whom Daryl assumed was her husband, came up behind the woman and bit into her shoulder. The woman screamed as the walker pulled her further into the hallway and to the floor and then bit into her neck. Daryl followed her out and shot the walker in the head. Shoving the walker off the woman with his foot, seeing she was dead he took aim and shot her as well.

The woman's scream caused Merle and Georgia to stop bickering and look towards the doorway. Merle had grabbed a hold of Georgia's right arm with his left hand and started to pull her out of the room when he was met with resistance. He turned his attention back to Georgia and before either one of them could make a sound, the boy had sat up, grabbing a hold of Georgia's left arm and sunk his teeth into it piercing her flesh. Georgia screamed as she tried to pull her arm away causing the boy to bite down harder. Merle raised his gun, shooting the boy in the head as Georgia jerked free of both of their grips and backed up into the corner. She covered the bite with her other hand to try to stop the bleeding.

Daryl rushed back it the room, still seeing the smoke from the gun's barrel. He turned his eyes to Georgia and saw the horror on her face as she clutched her bleeding arm.

"NO!" Daryl yelled not needing to have seen to know what just happened. He rushed over to Georgia and as he went to grab hold of her she slumped down to the floor.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" She yelled at him as she began to cry. "OH MY GOD! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"

Daryl could feel his eyes well up with tears as he couldn't believe what he was seeing either. Daryl heard Merle let out a big sigh.

"She's been bit Daryl...we know what happens when one of those things bite someone..." Merle stated. "GOD DAMMIT!"

"No...no...it's not the same...she ain't dead...all the others died and she ain't dead...she can still be ok..." Daryl stated.

Merle paced back and forth in the room. Before he spoke he took a deep breath. "I don't want to believe it either Daryl but pretending like it ain't happening ain't gonna solve nothin'."

Daryl flipped over the blanket on the bed and ripped a section off from the sheet underneath.

"Gimme your arm, this will do for now...then we'll find a doctor or somethin'...you'll be ok." Daryl told her.

Merle watched silently as Daryl wrapped up the wound on her arm and helped her to her feet. They walked out of the house and head back towards the road. Georgia's legs buckled underneath her as they were halfway back but Daryl grabbed her to keep her from falling. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her the rest of the way as she rested her head on his shoulder. After Daryl got Georgia back in the truck he turned to Merle.

"Doc Brown's just down the road...we'll go by there and he'll know what to do to help her." Daryl told him.

"It's a waste of time Daryl...she's done for and you know it..." Merle told him.

"Shut up Merle...you wanna go...then go...but I'm takin' her..." Daryl barked at him as he got in the truck and headed off down the road.

Merle stood there for a moment and watched him drive off.

"Dammit little brother..." Merle said to himself. "She's as good as dead already..."


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY **

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 14

Merle pulled up to Doc Brown's house just as Daryl was coming back off the porch. Merle could tell he was angry. Daryl looked up at Merle.

"Ain't nobody here..." Daryl told him.

"The nearest hospital is 40 miles away..." Daryl said. "I'm headed there..."

"Daryl...you know you can't do that...you heard the news before...they were all full before they went off air...I can only imagine what they are like now..." Merle told him.

"WHY DON'T YOU WANT TO HELP HER?" Daryl yelled at him.

"THERE AIN'T NO MORE HOSPITALS...THERE AIN'T NO MORE DOCTORS..." Merle yelled back.

"YOU'RE WRONG...SOMEBODY HAS TO HELP HER! I AIN'T GONNA GIVE UP! I'LL COME UP WITH SOMETHIN'! "

Daryl ran his hands through his hair, frustrated he started to head back towards the driver's side of the truck.

"DARYL...DARYL..." Merle followed after him.

Merle grabbed hold of Daryl arm and turned him back around to face him. He put both his hands on his shoulders. Daryl was waiting for Merle to scream at him as he tensed up ready to take it. What he wasn't expected was calmness from Merle.

"Listen up...take her back to Billy's...we'll get the wound cleaned up there...we'll see how she does through the night..." Merle told him and shook his head as he walked back to his bike.

Once they got back to Billy's house, Daryl carried her to the kitchen and placed her on the table. Daryl couldn't ignore how quickly she was getting sick. They cleaned up her wound and wrapped it tight and Daryl carried her upstairs to the bedroom so she could be more comfortable. Daryl sat on the bed next to her on the edge as Merle stood in the doorway. Daryl brushed her hair off her forehead but instantly felt how her skin seemed as if it were on fire.

"Can you get me some water? I'm so thirsty..." Georgia asked Daryl. He nodded and walked towards the doorway. At first Merle just glared at him and didn't move for him to get by. Daryl glared right back. Merle shifted his weight just enough for Daryl to get by and Daryl went downstairs.

"I'm sorry Merle...I know...it's my own fault..." She told him.

Merle took a deep breath and blew it back out. He stepped into the room a few steps and leaned against the foot of the bed.

"Daryl wants to believe you can get well...not much I can say about it to change his mind I guess..." Merle told her.

"Don't blame him...I didn't listen...to either one of you...I'm sorry." Georgia said as she started to cry.

"You ain't gettin' no argument from me..." Merle said coldly.

Daryl came back up with a glass of water and a damp wash cloth. Georgia chugged down the glass of water and as she laid back down Daryl draped the washcloth across her forehead.

"You want to fool yourself into thinkin' playin' nurse is gonna help, you go right ahead...I ain't stoppin' ya but I ain't watchin' neither..." Merle said as he turned and stomped back down the stairs.

"Merle's right you know..." Georgia started to say before Daryl cut her off.

"Don't say that...you don't know..." Daryl told her.

"My body hurts so bad Daryl...and I feel like I'm on fire! It's so hot!" She complained.

"I know...just try not to think about it..." Daryl told her.

"I'm sorry Daryl...you guys should go on without me...find someplace safe."

"STOP THAT KINDA TALK!" Daryl yelled at her. Daryl shook his head in attempt to calm himself. He didn't want to spend anymore time being angry at her. As much as he wanted to believe she wouldn't turn, the more he watched her become sick, the thought quickly started to fade.

"I ain't meaning to yell...just let me do this...just try to get well...just try ok?" Daryl asked almost pleading with her.

Georgia looked at Daryl's face and could see the worry written all over it. He was so desperately trying to cling to an ounce of hope. She figured if he wasn't going to listen to her the least she could do was to let him hold onto it as long as he could.

"Ok...I promise I'll try..." Georgia told him as she tried to smile.

"That's all I'm askin'" Daryl told her.

"You're a good man Daryl...I know you don't want to believe you are but you are a good man..." She told him.

"Don't get mushy on me...you know I hate that shit!..." Daryl replied as he gave her a small smile. "Best thing for you to do right now is sleep..."

Georgia nodded her head and closed her eyes. Daryl sat on the edge of the bed next to her until she drifted off to sleep.

He watched her sleeping for a few minutes. A wave of guilt washed over him for not stopping her or make her wait in the truck while he and Merle checked on the boy. If only he had done things differently somehow.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY **

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 15

Merle lost count of all the times Daryl went up and down the stairs to check on Georgia but the last time he came down he headed to the sink with an empty drinking glass he retrieved from her room and a wash cloth in his hand. He refilled the glass and rinsed out the towel.

She's just gettin' worse." Merle told him.

Daryl just glared at Merle. It pissed him off that Merle felt the need to point that out since it was something he clearly already knew.

"You hear me little brother? It's time we face facts here…." Merle told him.

"Shut up Merle!" Daryl snapped at him.

"I keep seein' more and more of those things out there." Merle said as he pointed outside. We can't hide out here much longer…..and she ain't gonna last much longer neither." Merle told him sternly.

"WHAT? WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT?" Daryl yelled at him.

Merle walked closer to Daryl so they would be face to face.

"I'M SAYIN' I WOULDN'T LET A DAMN DOG SUFFER LIKE THAT!..." Merle yelled back at him, just inches from his face.

Daryl shoved Merle away from him. "DON'T YOU DARE FUCKIN' TOUCH HER….JUST STAY AWAY FROM HER." Daryl didn't need Merle to finish what he was saying. He knew exactly what Merle had in mind.

"NOW BOY, YOU BETTER GET ONE THING STRAIGHT! SHE'S GONNA TURN INTO ONE OF THOSE DAMN THINGS OUT THERE AND THERE AIN'T NOTHIN' YOU CAN DO TO STOP IT!" Merle shoved Daryl back.

Daryl took a swing at Merle but Merle ducked out of the way. He rammed into Daryl's body with great force, slamming him against the kitchen cabinets. Grabbing him by the shirt, he grabbed Daryl and slammed him into the wall on the other side of the room. He held his forearm against Daryl throat almost cutting off his airway. Daryl struggled to get free.

"DON'T YOU FUCKIN' FIGHT ME…I'LL WIP YOUR ASS LITTLE BROTHER…" Merle was fuming.

Daryl gasped for air as he struggled, unable to get away from Merle. With as much force as he could, he brought his knee up and struck Merle in the groin causing him to hunch forward.

Merle slumped over but still with his hands on Daryl, grunting in pain, threw Daryl to the floor. Merle sat on his chest and began punching him hard.

"GOD DAMMIT BOY! DON'T YOU EVER PULL SHIT LIKE THIS AGAIN! LOOK WHAT YOU'RE MAKING ME DO!" After a few punches Merle stopped and got off of Daryl but knelt down beside him.

Out of breath, Merle just sat next to Daryl for a moment until he could breathe easier.

"Daryl…." Merle said sternly but exhausted didn't have the energy to yell. "I might be a cold hearted bastard but I don't wish this for her...I know you don't want to hear it but you got to. There ain't no use cryin' about it now, what's done is done….."

Merle got up, walked over to the refrigerator, grabbed a beer and cracked it open as he walked into the living room and sat down. Merle tried turning on the television but now every channel had gone to static.

"Give me 'til mornin'...If we can get her to Atlanta maybe one of them refugee centers can help...please Merle...I don't ever ask you for nothin'...just give me 'til then..." Daryl stated as leaned against the door frame doubled over from the pain Merle had just inflicted. Daryl spit blood out of his mouth onto the floor and adjusted his jaw.

Merle sat there in silence for a moment before responding. "Alright….if she makes it through the night we'll try to get her to Atlanta but if she gets much worse...I ain't waitin'."

Daryl walked past Merle towards the bedroom while Merle just stared straight in front of him watching the static on the television.

.

Georgia opened her eyes and looked at Daryl when she heard the clinking of the drinking glass on the nightstand.

"I brought you more water…." Daryl told her. His face was bruised and swollen on the left side.

"Daryl? What happened?" Georgia asked as she tried to reach towards his face but she was too weak to lift her arm all the way.

"It ain't nothin' just Merle and I ain't agreein' on stuff. Nothin' for you to worry about." He told her. Daryl rested a wet wash cloth against her forehead. Her face was pale and she had dark circles around her eyes. Daryl remembered John looking just as sick that day at the shop.

"…..will you promise me somethin' Daryl?" She asked him.

Daryl sat on the edge of the bed next to her. He looked into her eyes and didn't say a word.

"…..don't let me turn into one of those things…I can't stand thinkin' that's what's gonna happen to me…." Georgia's eyes began to well up with tears. "you have to promise, you and Merle won't let that happen…" She pleaded as she rested her hand on top of his.

"Just make it 'til mornin'...we'll go to Atlanta tomorrow and there'll be some way to help you there...just hang on 'til then..." Daryl told her.

"Daryl...I'm not going to make it that long...Merle's right..."

Daryl held his head down, he couldn't look her in the face as he fought back tears. She was getting worse and he knew just looking in her eyes that he was only kidding himself. Daryl covered his eyes with his hand when he felt the tears begin to flow trying to hide the fact that he was crying but a tear still found it's way down his cheek. Georgia gathered the strength to reach up and gently brush it from his face. Daryl removed his hand from his eyes and grabbed her by the hand. He gently squeezed it.

"I ain't promisin' shit cause your gonna be fine…." Daryl said . He leaned forward, kissing her on the cheek then quickly got up and left the room.

Georgia could hear him swearing and banging his fist against the wall as he walked down the stairs.

Daryl stomped his way back into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He chugged it down fast, slamming the empty bottle on the counter. Daryl sat at the kitchen table and rested his head against his crossed arms. He closed his eyes not wanting to deal with what was happening. Merle had watched Daryl out of the corner of his eye walk the whole way. He sat there for a moment and sighed deeply. Merle ran his hands threw what little hair he had with his military style cut, then got up and went upstairs. He stood at the doorway until Georgia spoke.

"Merle…" She said as she tried to muster up the energy to smile.

Merle slowly walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He leaned over her placing one hand on the opposite side of her so he could face her.

"You know what's gonna happen to ya, don't ya?" Merle said softly.

A tear ran down Georgia's cheek as she tried to fight it back. "I know…" Her voice was shaky. "That's what I tried to tell Daryl….I can't be one of those things Merle…..I just can't…." Georgia said as she began to cry.

"I know…I know…." Merle told her.

"I doubt I'll even make it to morning." Georgia told him. "Please Merle…..there's no going back….there's no getting better…..please…." Tears streamed down Georgia's face and she didn't bother fighting them anymore.

Merle leaned in close and cupped her face with one and with his thumb gently wiped away a few tears.

"Ssssshhhhhh!...There's no need to cry…. I'll take care of everything…you just close your eyes now and go to sleep…..it's all gonna be alright….." Merle said to her gently as he leaned closer and kissed her on the forehead. Merle stayed close with his forehead against hers as she spoke.

"You'll make sure Daryl knows how much I care about him and that I know how hard he tried to make it better?" Georgia asked.

"I will..." Merle replied keeping his head against hers.

Tears continued to stream down Georgia's face as she closed her eyes.

"That's right…..you just go on to sleep and close your eyes." Merle told her.

Slowly he sat up as he began to sing.

"_Oh how I miss that Georgia sunshine…..Oh how I wish that I was there…To wake up every morning to the smell of them Georgia pines….Each blossom's blooming everywhere…my restless young heart to be wandering….Far from that old hometown of mine….But oh how I long every minute that I've been gone…To get myself back home to that Georgia sunshine….."*_

He sang the song over and over softly until he noticed her breathing became more steady and he knew she was asleep.

Slowly and quietly Merle reached around to the back of his waist band and pulled out his handgun. Careful not to wake her up he slowly pulled back the slide of the gun then guided it back forward and with a click, he heard the cartridge rack up into the chamber. Merle took a deep breath and let it out quietly. He held the gun up to her head and pulled the trigger…..

.

* "Georgia Sunshine" by Jerry Reed.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. No copyright infringement intended on anything associated with this account. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. **

**Please Review!**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY **

****authors note- Compared to my other fan fiction stories…this story contains material of a more graphic nature than some of the others I've written. Like all of my stories is intended only for mature audiences only.**

Chapter 16

The shot rang out, echoing in Daryl's head as he stood just outside the door, listening to everything that had been said between the two of them. Daryl just stood there with his forehead pressed against the wall, both hands up by his face with his fists tightly clinched. He didn't move or make a sound.

Merle slowly stepped out of the room, his gun still in his hand down by his side. He stopped next to Daryl for a moment. He leaned in close and grabbed Daryl by the back of the neck. Daryl started to jerk away as he did his best to hold back the whimper that forced its way out of his throat. Daryl kept his face buried against the wall with his fists up to hide his face.

Merle tightened his grip on Daryl refusing to let go and pulled him closer. Reluctantly Daryl turned towards Merle with his head down and wrapped his arms around Merle's neck, burying his face into his shoulder. Merle could feel the dampness on his shirt from Daryl's tears. He held Daryl as tight as he could for a moment and then shoved his brother away from him and back into the wall as he walked away.

Daryl slid down to sitting with his knees bent next to the doorway as he leaned against the wall. He wiped the tears from his face and began to chew at the skin around his nails as he tried to breathe deeply and stop crying. Neither he nor Merle faced each other for the rest of the night.

.

The next morning, neither brother said much. Merle had kicked the bottom of Daryl's shoe when he found him asleep in the hallway to wake him up.

"We gotta go…." Was all Merle said to him.

They gathered up their belongings, grabbed a quick bite to eat from the kitchen and left, Daryl in his truck following Merle on his bike. They headed down the main road in town when Merle quickly turned off onto one of the side roads. He pulled off on the side of the road and approached Daryl's truck. Daryl had his window down with his arm hanging out.

"What's wrong now?" Daryl asked sharply.

"Get out and grab a rifle…." Merle instructed. He walked back to the end of the road where it intersected with the main road and hid from view next to the wood line. Daryl approached cautiously behind him with a rifle.

Merle turned when he heard Daryl behind him and he grabbed the rifle from his hands.

Merle took aim further down in the direction where they were originally headed.

"What is it? Is it one of them things?" Daryl asked.

"No…it's a roadblock…." Merle stated as he handed the rifle back to Daryl and pointed down the road for him to see for himself.

"What the hell?" Daryl remarked as he looked through the scope of the rifle. Sure enough, Merle was right. There were military personnel with their vehicles blocking the roadway, coming and going.

"You think they tryin' to keep people from coming here?" Daryl asked.

"….and to keep people in…." Merle remarked. "Come on, we'll take Smith's Creek Road out of town. Nobody drives on it anymore and ain't nobody gonna remember to block it off…but first head down the road to Johnson's farm, there'll be somethin' there we can use as a ramp to get the bike in the back of your truck and tie it down. Bike's not gonna make it tryin' to drive down that road. It's gonna be rough enough just in your truck but I think we'll make it through." Merle instructed.

Daryl nodded his head yes and they headed off back down the road.

About an hour later they had made it to Smith's Creek Road. Road was a term they were using loosely with the condition it was in. It took them an hour just to get out of town with as slow as they had to drive with all the bumps and holes they had to watch out for. Finally though it carried them a good distance from town and onto the highway. Daryl was relieved to finally be on paved road again.

"Boy its good we both can work on cars….I think we may have left your suspension back on the road there!" Merle joked.

"Think it's gonna be a long time before I want to be workin' on cars again." Daryl said as he thought back to the shop and everything that had happened.

"It was a fuckin' joke little brother...you gonna stay mad at me about Georgia? Is that how it is now?" Merle started to raise his voice.

"I don't want to talk about it..." Daryl said. He felt like shit and didn't want to think about anything. He lost more people he cared about in the last few days than he had before in his whole life.

"I DID IT FOR YOU DAMMIT! SO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO...YOU THINK IT WAS FUCKIN' EASY? WELL IT AIN'T BUT IT'S WHAT HAD TO BE DONE...SHE KNEW IT AND YOU NEED TO GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL!" Merle yelled.

"FUCK MERLE! YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?"

Merle smacked him upside the back of his head.

"DAMMIT MERLE! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?" Daryl yelled at him.

"Just tryin' to smack a little sense into ya little brother….you can't dwell on things…it is what it is…we ain't gonna change it worryin' about it….you remember that…."

They both sat in silence for a few minutes. Daryl was done talking. He was done feeling anything about anyone. It wasn't worth it. The only person he needed to worry about was Merle and that's because they were blood. Otherwise, Daryl was done with other people all together.

Merle started to squirm and get antsy from the strained silence between them.

"Hand me your cigarettes…I know you got some…"

Daryl leaned forward against the steering wheel and pulled his pack out of his back pocket. Flipped it opened with one hand as he continued to try and steer straight and pulled out two cigarettes with his teeth. He then shoved the pack back in his back pocket and pushed in the lighter.

"What's that all about?" Merle asked.

"What?" Daryl looked confused as he pulled the lighter out, lighting both cigarettes and handing one to Merle.

"That…." Merle gestured towards the cigarette as he took it from Daryl's hand.

Daryl did his best to fight the smirk on his face. "Nothin'….you wanted a cigarette, I'm givin' you one…."

"Why didn't you just hand me the pack?" Merle asked.

"Cause you're always stealin' my cigarettes…" Daryl fussed at him.

"I don't steal your damn cigarettes boy!" Merle barked back.

"Fuck you Merle you do!" Daryl yelled back at him.

Merle punched Daryl hard in the arm "No fuck you Darylina!" causing the cigarette to fall out of Daryl's mouth and onto his lap.

"FUCK MERLE!" Daryl jumped as he tried to grab the cigarette before it burned through his pants as he jerked the steering wheel causing the truck to swerve in the road. Just then they heard the blaring of a horn.

"WATCH IT BOY!" Merle yelled at Daryl as he turned to look behind them. Daryl over corrected causing them to drive off the road into the shallow ditch.

The RV that was approaching behind them swerved in the opposite direction and ran off on the other side into a ditch that was much deeper.

Both vehicles came to a stop.

"God dammit Daryl….can't you do nothin' right?" Merle snapped at him.

Merle and Daryl continued to bicker back and forth when Merle stopped and motioned next to Daryl. An old man in a fisherman's hat approached the truck.

"You boys alright?" He asked.

"Man….who the fuck taught you to drive?" Merle barked at him.

"I do believe you were the ones that ran us off the road not the other way around….just tryin' to make sure everyone's ok is all…." The man explained.

"Merle…shut the fuck up, let me handle this alright?" Daryl told him.

"Come on Daryl let's go…" Merle ordered.

"Now hang on a sec….you ran us off the road….the least you could do is help us out of the ditch…you can't just leave us here like this…" The man complained.

Merle saw two women step out from behind the RV across the road. Both blond, one shaded her eyes with her hand and the other stood there with her hands on her hips.

"Damn….look at that!" Merle whispered to Daryl. "I'll take sugar tits and you can have the younger one…." Merle laughed.

Daryl just rolled his eyes at Merle.

"I….I'm terribly sorry there my friend….you see I can be a little hot headed at times…I'm Merle and this here is my little brother Daryl...we'll be happy to help ya…. Merle told him.

"Alright...I'm Dale...the two young ladies over there are Andrea and Amy...I appreciate you helping out." The man suddenly looked creeped out by the change in tone of Merle's voice but nodded his head and headed back to the RV.

Daryl and Merle both got out of the truck and started to cross the road.

"Damn Merle…..sorry my friend?...happy to help ya?...you're the worst liar I've ever seen." Daryl stated as Merle playfully shoved him by the arm as they headed towards the RV.

******AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know this is a short story compared to some others but I only wanted to take it up to the point of them coming in contact with some of the other familiar characters. Thanks again for seeing another one of my stories through and I look forward to your comments on the next one starting soon so if you have't already be sure to put me on your author alert list so you will be notified when I start a new one. I'm also on the sister site- fictionpress -and I've started an original story for anyone interested in reading- I hope you will give it a peak and post a review- it's titled "Carbon" and I have the same pen name LSWasp. ****You can log in with your same log in for this site there too. Feel free to leave a review on that one as well. If you have any issues finding it just PM me. I look forward to you reading my future stories. I'll post a new one soon!*********


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